Lamborghinis, designer furniture seized in high-stakes raid on Hangwani Maumela's Sandton mansion

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has raided the luxury Sandton home of businessman Hangwani Maumela, seizing high-end vehicles and artwork as part of an R820 million asset recovery operation tied to looting at Tembisa Hospital.

The Thursday morning operation unfolded at Maumela’s upmarket Sandhurst residence, where law enforcement officials, locksmiths, and removal trucks entered under a Special Tribunal order. Among the items taken were Lamborghinis, designer furniture, and valuable works of art believed to have been purchased with proceeds of corrupt hospital contracts.

Ngwako Motsieng, SIU senior communications manager said: “The SIU confirms an operation took place at a Sandhurst home linked to our Tembisa Hospital investigation. 

“This operation is part of implementing the SIU's investigation outcomes and consequence management. We will communicate further once the legal processes have been finalised.”

The raid supports a R300 million forfeiture case targeting Maumela’s assets and those of his associates. According to media reports, the crackdown is part of a broader R820 million sweep, reflecting the scale of assets under scrutiny.

Maumela, a well-connected businessman, is known for companies that secured lucrative government contracts across Gauteng and other provinces. His firms allegedly supplied medical consumables, catering, and cleaning services through manipulated procurement processes that favored a tight network of politically connected suppliers.

According to a recent IOL report, the SIU’s investigations have uncovered three coordinated syndicates responsible for looting over R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital funds. In that report, SIU head, advocate Andy Mothibi, described the findings as a “devastating plunder of public funds,” saying the corruption betrayed public trust and harmed vulnerable patients depending on hospital care.

The IOL story also cites that Maumela and his entities were flagged in the late Babita Deokaran’s forensic report — previously implicating 14 companies linked to Maumela in contracts worth R415 million.

The SIU’s interim findings place Maumela at the heart of a syndicate that manipulated procurement thresholds, split contracts, and routed inflated payments through front companies. Collectively, the syndicates under investigation are alleged to have diverted more than R2 billion intended for medical supplies, equipment, and services.

The scandal itself traces back to whistle-blower Deokaran, who in 2021 exposed procurement irregularities at Tembisa Hospital. Her report flagged suspicious payments to both the Maumela and Mazibuko networks — and she was assassinated weeks later. The revelations from her disclosures sparked deeper audits by the Treasury’s Specialised Audit Service and eventual SIU involvement.

The SIU already holds freezing orders on numerous Maumela properties and bank accounts across South Africa, including in Gauteng, Cape Town, and KwaZulu-Natal. Officials say Thursday’s raid is part of a sustained campaign to recover assets tied to public sector corruption.

The SIU’s full report on Tembisa Hospital is still awaited, though investigators note the case is complex and far from closed.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za