In one of South Africa’s most high-profile anti-corruption operations, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has raided the luxurious Sandton mansion of businessman Hangwani Maumela, seizing assets worth millions. The dramatic Thursday morning operation at his Sandhurst residence is part of a massive R820 million asset recovery effort tied to widespread corruption at Tembisa Hospital.
Law enforcement officers, locksmiths, and removal trucks entered the property under a Special Tribunal order, confiscating Lamborghinis, designer furniture, and expensive artwork. These items are believed to have been bought using funds siphoned from fraudulent hospital contracts.
SIU senior communications manager Ngwako Motsieng confirmed the raid, stating:
“The SIU confirms an operation took place at a Sandhurst home linked to our Tembisa Hospital investigation. This is part of implementing our investigation outcomes and consequence management.”
The raid forms part of a R300 million forfeiture case targeting Maumela and his business associates. Media reports suggest it’s a portion of the broader R820 million in assets the SIU has identified for potential seizure.
Maumela, a well-connected businessman, has long been linked to companies that secured lucrative government contracts for catering, cleaning, and medical supplies across Gauteng and beyond. According to SIU investigations, these contracts were awarded through manipulated procurement processes, allegedly benefiting a network of politically connected suppliers.
The SIU’s findings suggest that Maumela played a key role in three syndicates accused of looting more than R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital. SIU head Advocate Andy Mothibi described the scandal as a “devastating plunder of public funds” that robbed citizens of critical healthcare resources.
Maumela’s name also appeared in the forensic report by whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, who uncovered suspicious payments to his companies before she was assassinated in 2021. Deokaran’s death, following her exposure of large-scale irregularities, sent shockwaves across South Africa and led to a deeper probe by the National Treasury and SIU.
According to IOL’s reports, 14 companies linked to Maumela were flagged in Deokaran’s files, receiving contracts worth more than R415 million. Investigators allege that the syndicates under scrutiny split tenders, inflated prices, and laundered stolen funds through front companies to conceal their origins.
Thursday’s operation marks a continuation of the SIU’s broader campaign to recover public money and hold those responsible for state looting accountable. The agency already has freezing orders on multiple Maumela properties and bank accounts in Gauteng, Cape Town, and KwaZulu-Natal.
While the investigation is ongoing, authorities stress that the case remains complex and far from over. The final SIU report on the Tembisa Hospital scandal is still pending and is expected to reveal the full extent of corruption within provincial health systems.
The Tembisa Hospital saga remains one of South Africa’s most significant corruption cases — intertwining political influence, public healthcare failures, and the ultimate sacrifice of a whistle-blower who paid with her life for exposing the truth.
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