Truth behind Cyril's link with Maumela

Neighbour living on exclusive street claims Ramaphosa is a frequent visitor

- MANYANE MANYANE AND MASHUDU SADIKE

A NEIGHBOUR living on the exclusive Sandton street where Hangwani Maumela's house was raided by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) last week in connection with the R2 billion Tembisa Hospital scandal, claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa is a frequent visitor.

Ramaphosa on Tuesday admitted to knowing Maumela during a question and answer session in Parliament, after previously denying ever meeting him.

This is not the first time Ramaphosa's relationship with Maumela has been raised in 2022 DA leader John Steenhuisen asked the president about the relationship and Ramaphosa denied that it existed.

At the weekend Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, after video footage emerged of Ramaphosa outside Maumela's home, said Ramaphosa did not know him and that this was a coincidence a claim Magwenya repeated during a media briefing on Monday.

But on Tuesday Ramaphosa explained that while walking in his neighbourhood, he met Maumela outside Maumela's house in 2023 and 2024.

"I often meet people and ask who they are."

"He said: 'I am Hangwani Maumela.' I said: 'So you are the Maumela who is putting my name into disrepute.' He smiled. I walked away from home."