Cyril’s Maumela admission a dilemma for DA

THE DA now says President Cyril Ramaphosa's admission of having ‘encountered’ Hangwani Maumela, a key figure implicated in the Tembisa Hospital R2 billion 'looting' scandal is "not (in) the party's lane".

The latest stance appears to be backtracking from its earlier demands for Ramaphosa  to come clean about his alleged relationship with Maumela.

At the time, Ramaphosa denied knowing Maumela in 2022 in response to a question from DA leader John Steenhuisen.

Steenhuisen had asked Ramaphosa about broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) schemes and the impact it has had.

"State Capture Commission showed that BBBEE has been central to corruption in South Africa. Whether it is the R14 billion PPE corruption in Covid-19 or the billions stolen at Eskom. A recent example, one of your own nephew’s (Maumela) companies scored R381 million from Gauteng hospitals. You are right. It does not benefit the majority. It only benefits ANC-connected cronies," Steenhuisen said to Ramaphosa.

Responding to Steenhuisen, Ramaphosa said: “You keep saying, my nephew. I don’t even know this gentleman. So, let’s not even get there. I don’t know him.”

However, Ramaphosa admitted this week to having “encountered” Maumela while walking past his mansion. The admission came days after a video of Ramaphosa and his former advisor, now Employment and Labour deputy minister Jomo Sibiya, were captured outside Maumela’s recently raided home. 

Even after being asked about the video Ramaphosa still denied knowing or having met him, saying the only link between him and Maumela was the fact that he was married to his aunt more than 40 years ago.  

Maumela was implicated in a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report, which alleged he headed one of three major syndicates that looted Tembisa Hospital. These syndicates reportedly diverted public healthcare funds using fraudulent tenders, inflated prices, and non-existent deliveries. 

The SIU’s investigation found that Maumela allegedly used a network of 41 companies to siphon off R820 million from the hospital over two years. The broader investigation uncovered that three syndicates were responsible for looting over R2 billion.

The DA leadership’s "strategic silence," as political analysts term it, appears to be a direct consequence of its new role as a crucial partner in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

University of Johannesburg political analyst Dr. Sifiso Ncube said that the DA found itself in a strategic dilemma. 

“On one hand, their core mandate has always been to hold the ruling party accountable and champion good governance. On the other, they are now a crucial partner in a fragile GNU, where their ability to influence policy and potentially govern, is contingent on cooperation and a degree of compromise."

"Helen Zille’s declaration that this specific issue is 'not the party's lane' is a clear signal of the DA’s current priorities. It indicates a deliberate choice to deescalate potential points of friction with their GNU partners, particularly the ANC.

"Aggressively pursuing issues like Ramaphosa's link to Maumela, while ideologically consistent for the DA, could be seen as undermining the very unity they are trying to foster. It could destabilise the GNU and potentially lead to its collapse, which would be detrimental to their long-term political objectives and the stability of the country."

Professor Lebohang Lekota from the University of the Witwatersrand said the DA's silence, and particularly Zille's framing of it, is not an admission of guilt or a sudden change of heart regarding the importance of these issues.

"Rather, it's a pragmatic decision. They understand that pushing too hard on these specific scandals right now could alienate their GNU partners, particularly the ANC, and jeopardise the broader project of national unity."

Cape Times