RAMAPHOSA DENIES TIES TO TEMBISA 'LOOTING' SUSPECT

Video showing him outside home of Maumela purely coincidental

- MANYANE MANYANE

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson said a video showing him outside the posh Sandton home of Hangwani Maumela - a central figure in a massive corruption scandal involving the looting of over R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital - is purely coincidental.

Ramaphosa has denied ever meeting Maumela, who was related to him through a previous marriage.

Last week, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) raided Maumela's home as part of an operation to seize assets linked to the alleged Tembisa Hospital looting.

A recent SIU report found that Maumela led one of three major syndicates that diverted public funds meant for healthcare services through a complex web of fraudulent tenders, inflated prices and nonexistent deliveries.

Among the items confiscated were three Lamborghinis, designer furniture, expensive artwork, and other property. The total value of assets preserved was R133.5 million, with a total of R900m worth of assets targeted.

The SIU's investigation found that Maumela allegedly used a network of 41 companies to siphon off R820m from Tembisa Hospital over two years. The broader investigation uncovered that three syndicates were responsible for looting over R2bn. A day after the raid, a video of Ramaphosa outside Maumela's house was circulated on social media.