War against plunder of public funds gaining ground

A spectacle of Hollywood proportions played itself out on the streets of Sandhurst, Johannesburg, this week as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) zeroed in on the flashy wheels and other valuables of graft-accused businessman Hangwani Maumela.

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The raid on the Maumela opulent residence, during which expensive luxury cars, including at least three Lamborghinis, were loaded onto heavy-duty trucks as the SIU continued its investigation into the R2-billion Tembisa Hospital corruption in which Maumela is central as the alleged head of a syndicate leeching on the entity.

The shenanigans at the hospital were first flagged by slain Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran, who was assassinated for exposing the rot. She was shot dead outside her Winchester Hills, southern Johannesburg, home in 2021.

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the SIU investigation the go-ahead in 2023 to look into the supply chain rot at the hospital following Deokaran's murder.