JOHANNESBURG, South Africa- The Presidency has firmly rejected allegations of impropriety following a viral video showing Ramaphosa outside the Sandton home of Hangwani Maumela, a businessman under investigation in a high-value hospital procurement scandal.
In the footage, the president appears, during what seemed to be a fitness walk, in front of Maumela’s mansion. That sighting fueled speculation about a potential link between the two. Maumela has been named by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) as a central figure in the procurement irregularities relating to Tembisa Hospital contracts, valued at roughly R2 billion.
In a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday afternoon, the Presidency responded to the accusations. Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya explained that the encounter occurred in 2023 and denied that the president was aware of having been outside Maumela’s property. He said the president’s habitual walking route passes by the house. Magwenya added that radio DJ Tbo Touch briefly stopped his vehicle to greet the president, unaware that it was Maumela’s residence. “They were not visiting or coming out of the house,” he said.
Maumela’s three-storey home was recently raided by the SIU as part of its probe into the allegedly corrupt tenders. Luxury vehicles and assets from the property and associated addresses have been seized.
Observers pointed out that Maumela has been implicated in significant procurement abuses connected to Tembisa Hospital. The SIU has described him as one of the leading players in syndicates that benefited from irregular contracts.
While the Presidency maintains that the president’s presence near the property was coincidental and unplanned, critics argue it raises questions, especially given Maumela’s alleged role in public-sector fraud. Some reports also note that Maumela is connected by family ties to Ramaphosa, which has added to the sensitivity of the matter.
As the SIU continues to deepen its investigation into the Tembisa Hospital contracts, including winding in asset seizures and further searches, the political fallout is likely to remain significant. Observers will watch closely whether further evidence surfaces that could corroborate or refute claims of improper associations involving the presidency.
The Ramaphosa name now looms large in this unfolding corruption scandal, even as the presidency seeks to distance itself from assertions of improper linkage.
