President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly denied any connection to alleged tender fraud kingpin Hangwani Morgan Maumela following the circulation of a viral video showing him outside Maumela’s Sandton mansion.
According to the Presidency, the video has been misinterpreted and used in “desperate attempts” by some individuals and media outlets to falsely link Ramaphosa to Maumela, who is under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for his alleged involvement in a R2 billion Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya clarified that the video in question merely shows Ramaphosa walking past Maumela’s property while being greeted by Metro FM presenter Thabo “Tbo Touch” Molefe. He explained that the President and Deputy President Paul Mashatile were on their routine morning walk when Tbo Touch stopped his car, requested a photo with the President, and briefly chatted to him outside the residence.
Magwenya emphasised that Ramaphosa was not visiting or leaving Maumela’s house, nor was he aware of who owned the property. He added that the President often takes walks in the area and that the route sometimes passes Maumela’s residence, but there was no connection between the two men.
“The President was not aware that the property belonged to Mr Maumela. His walk routes vary, and it so happened that this time it passed that particular home,” Magwenya said.
The Presidency also addressed claims about family ties between Ramaphosa and Maumela. Magwenya confirmed that while Maumela was once married to one of Ramaphosa’s aunts many years ago, he is not part of the President’s immediate family and has never been involved in any of his business or government dealings.
He reiterated that before Ramaphosa became Deputy President, he had issued a family directive instructing all relatives to cease doing business with the state — a directive that did not apply to Maumela, as he is not a close family member.
The Presidency further condemned what it called “deliberate misinformation” spread online to create a false impression of association between the President and the accused businessman. “This is yet another example of misinformation designed to tarnish the President’s reputation and mislead the public,” Magwenya added.
The SIU has accused Maumela of being one of the key figures behind fraudulent procurement practices at Tembisa Hospital, allegedly benefiting from irregular contracts worth billions of rands. Investigations are ongoing.
In conclusion, the Presidency reaffirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has no ties — business, personal, or otherwise — to Hangwani Morgan Maumela and that he had no prior knowledge of the property featured in the viral video. The office called on the public to be cautious about spreading unverified claims and to rely on credible information.
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