Four years on, Maumela still faces no charges - TimesLIVE

Four years after criminal investigations began into the alleged R2bn looting of Tembisa Hospital, alleged kingpin Hangwani Morgan Maumela has yet to face criminal charges.

This week, law enforcement authorities described the investigation into alleged tender fraud and corruption as complex and ongoing.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks, launched its investigation in 2022, before the proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate the matter was issued.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said this week that the investigation required a multidisciplinary approach and that progress could not be disclosed without potentially compromising the case.

“The [DPCI] is still in the process of finalising the investigation. The matter is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach.”

He said the Hawks and the NPA had collectively made progress, but the details remained confidential.

“The office of the NDPP [national director of public prosecutions] requests regular detailed updates on the progress of the matter,” he said, adding that it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation.

“Once the investigation has been concluded, the available evidence will be assessed, and a decision will be taken on whether it establishes a prima facie case warranting prosecution.”

Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale said the investigation had received the necessary support and remained a priority because of the seriousness of the allegations.

She said investigators were conducting a thorough, impartial and evidence-based investigation in accordance with the law.

“The investigation has resulted in several arrests to date. The matters are at various stages of the criminal justice process, including court proceedings,” Mogale said.

Asked specifically about Maumela and the alleged looting of Tembisa Hospital, Mogale said further information would be released where appropriate, without compromising investigations or court proceedings.

Hangwani Maumela The latest developments come a year after the SIU moved to preserve assets, including luxury properties and supercars, valued at around R350m. The preservation order obtained by the SIU sought to attach assets valued at more than R500m.

SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho said the curator continued searching for additional properties, assets and funds derived from the looting of Tembisa Hospital.

“The curator is actively trying to trace or preserve additional properties, assets and/or funds in order to give full effect to the preservation order valued at R503m,” Makgotho told the Sunday Times this week.

Maumela’s properties under preservation include a R75m property in Bantry Bay, Cape Town; a R70m mansion in Sandhurst, Johannesburg; a R32m property in Camps Bay, Cape Town; and a R25m mansion in Zimbali, KwaZulu-Natal.

Other properties include a R16m property in Sandhurst; a R13.5m property in Hartbeesfontein, North West; and a R9.7m property in Zimbali.

Three properties linked to Maumela’s mother, Mboneni Benedicta Maumela, have also been placed under preservation. They include two Anchor Bay units in Cape Town worth a combined R14.5m and a property in Bendor, Polokwane, valued at R457,000.

The preserved assets also include a collection of luxury vehicles and supercars. These include a Rolls-Royce Cullinan valued at R13.5m, two Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae Coupes worth R10m and R9.8m, respectively, and a Lamborghini Huracan Coupe valued at R9m.

Assets have been traced and seized, yet we are still waiting to see criminal accountability reach some of the central figures implicated in this scandal, including Maumela.

Other vehicles include a Lamborghini Urus worth R5.5m, two Bentleys — a Continental GT valued at R3.8m and a Bentayga V8 with an undisclosed value — and a Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 valued at R2.5m.

Meanwhile, the high court in Pretoria this week dismissed Maumela’s urgent application to stop the sale of a Ferrari SF90 Hybrid supercar valued at R10m, which is also under preservation.

On Monday, acting Judge Salmé Maritz dismissed Maumela’s application and ordered the MHR Maumela Family Trust to pay the costs.

Makgotho said no-one had come forward to assert ownership of the vehicle before the curator applied to the Special Tribunal to sell it. The SIU believed the supercar had been acquired using the proceeds of the alleged looting.

He said the SIU’s investigation remained ongoing, with referrals being made to relevant authorities for possible criminal, disciplinary and administrative action.

The unit is also pursuing the review of contracts allegedly awarded through the scheme, seeking to have them declared invalid and set aside.

At Maumela’s Sandhurst property, security remains stationed on site, with the SIU saying it’s not paying the costs.

Despite the assets preserved and arrests made in related matters, Maumela remains uncharged as the Hawks continue their investigation into one of the country’s most significant and highly publicised hospital corruption scandals.

The chair of parliament’s portfolio committee on police, Ian Cameron, said the public “has every reason to be frustrated”.

“We understand that financial crime investigations are complex, and nobody wants a poorly prepared case that collapses in court. But we cannot keep accepting ‘the investigation is ongoing’ as an answer without any meaningful indication of progress.”

He said the SIU had already uncovered extensive evidence of alleged corruption at Tembisa Hospital.

“Assets have been traced and seized, yet we are still waiting to see criminal accountability reach some of the central figures implicated in this scandal, including Maumela,” Cameron said.

“What exactly is holding up these investigations? Is it a shortage of skilled investigators, forensic accountants, poor co-ordination with prosecutors, or something else? These are questions the Hawks and NPA should be able to answer without compromising their investigations.’

Cameron said what was even more concerning was that whistleblower Babita Deokaran “was murdered more than five years ago, after raising concerns about suspicious payments. We cannot simply allow this matter to drag on indefinitely.

“I have no intention of interfering with prosecutorial decisions, but as chair of the portfolio committee on police, I expect proper accountability for investigative delays. There needs to be a clear distinction between genuinely difficult investigative work and institutional failure,” he said.

The story has been updated to reflect SIU’s position on security at the Sandhurst property.