Former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula failed to appear in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday morning after falling ill while giving evidence in her corruption trial on Wednesday.
Mapisa-Nqakula was scheduled to continue her testimony on Thursday.
But proceedings were postponed after her legal team reportedly informed the court that she was unable to testify because of ill health.
Her lawyer, Siyabulela Mapoma, reportedly submitted a medical certificate to the court confirming her condition.
The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) confirmed that the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria postponed the case to September 16, 2026, for the trial to continue.
“The matter was postponed in her absence as her attorney provided the court with a medical certificate citing ill health,” IDAC spokesperson Henry Mamothame said.
On Wednesday, proceedings were cut short on the third day of Mapisa-Nqakula’s testimony after she told the court she was not feeling well.
After the adjournment, her attorney told the media that she had consulted a doctor for about an hour after it became apparent that she was unwell.
The former cabinet minister’s legal team said her condition could also be linked to the length and intensity of the trial, which has been under way since July.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who is also a former speaker of Parliament, faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering.
The state alleges that she solicited 4.5 million rand in bribes, including 2.1 million rand allegedly paid in cash, from South African National Defence Force logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu is the state’s key witness in the case concerning the alleged gratification.
Mapisa-Nqakula has denied the allegations.
