The ministry’s policy, according to Defense Minister Thandi Modise, forbids them from giving legal assistance to her predecessor, Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula.
Modise was speaking on Sunday at a media briefing.
This came about as a result of a letter Mapisa-Nqakula made to the department asking for help finding a lawyer for the multi-million dollar corruption case against her.
After turning herself into authorities in April, the former speaker of the National Assembly was accused of requesting and accepting bribes from a military contractor while serving as a minister. She was charged with 12 charges of corruption and one count of money laundering.
“After careful consideration with relevant authorities, we have concluded that the applicant (Mapisa-Nqakula) is not eligible for such a benefit,” the Ministry of Defence and Veterans of Foreign Wars stated in a statement.
According to Section 6.2 of the State Legal Representation Policy, the coverage “applies to any claim lodged or commenced against any person arising from and/or directly connected with an alleged act and/or omission on the part of applicant in the execution of official duties or where applicant reasonably believed that he or she was acting in the course and scope of employment, or is based on any grounds arising from or connected with applicant’s official duties.”
“We have concluded that the accusations made against the former Minister are unrelated to the way she carried out her duties at the time, guided by this policy. The petitioner has received correspondence to this effect, and the case is now formally concluded.”
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