Mapisa-Nqakula bid to discharge corruption charges fails

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed an application by former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to have corruption and money laundering charges against her discharged. The ruling on Monday, September 7, 2026, means the trial will proceed to the defence stage, requiring Mapisa-Nqakula to answer the charges. Judge Mashudu Munzhelele stated that it would be premature to discharge Mapisa-Nqakula, finding that the state has presented sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case. The court determined that the evidence, including circumstantial accounts, communications, financial records, and alleged admissions, amounts to more than mere suspicion. The judge rejected the defence's argument that the state's evidence was too weak to sustain a conviction, noting that the inquiry at this stage is whether a sufficient evidential foundation exists upon which a reasonable court might convict. Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. Prosecutors allege that between 2016 and 2019, while she served as defence minister, she solicited approximately R4.5 million and received about R2.