Ramaphosa's Maumela saga far from over

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s contradictory versions about his knowledge of suspected Tembisa Hospital looter Hangwani Maumela suggest that he has not fully disclosed his ‘encounters’ with him- and that’s problematic. 

He initially denied knowing  Maumela,  only acknowledging that he was once married to Maumela's aunt more than 40 years ago. He, however, admitted to ‘encountering’ Maumela  when this question was once again asked during a National Council of Provinces sitting this week.

Why the president did not come clean about these encounters could only be because Maumela is accused of  being among three major syndicates that diverted Tembisa Hospital funds meant for healthcare services through a complex web of fraudulent tenders, inflated prices and non-existent deliveries. 

The Special Investigating Unit found that Maumela allegedly used a network of 41 companies to siphon off R820 million from Tembisa Hospital over two years. The broader investigation uncovered that three syndicates were responsible for looting over R2 billion.

Admitting to knowing someone implicated in such serious allegations would not only have resulted in public outrage, but also drawn the criticism of opposition parties, who have long branded his anti-corruption stance as nothing more than a farce.

 The video of the president outside the recently raided Maumela mansion has not made the situation any better for him. Perhaps that could be one of the reasons he now admits to knowing Maumela? 

Whatever the case may be, this admission leaves more questions than answers. Chief among them is what else is the president not telling the public about his relations, if any, with Maumela?

His failure to be upfront with this matter leaves the door wide open for speculation, and rightly so. The president owes the country an explanation.

He needs to take the country into his confidence that he had no role, directly or indirectly, in enabling Maumela’s enterprises to benefit from Tembisa Hospital. 

He also owes it to the family of whistleblower Babita Deokaran that is still seeking justice years after she was assassinated apparently for raising red flags about suspicious payments at Tembisa Hospital. 

Anything less than that will only leave him with yet another cloud hanging over his presidency.