R326 Million Seized, But Hangwani Maumela Remains Free as Arrest Calls Mount

• A Gauteng High Court ordered the forfeiture of R326 million in assets linked to the alleged Maumela syndicate on Monday
• Hangwani Maumela, implicated in the looting of more than R2 billion at Tembisa Hospital, remains free despite the asset seizure
• Civil society organisations are demanding criminal convictions and prison sentences, not just asset freezes

GAUTENG — Civil society organisations have called on authorities to arrest and prosecute Hangwane Maumela, the businessman implicated in the alleged looting of more than R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital, warning that asset forfeiture alone does not constitute justice.

The Ahmad Kathrada Foundation, Public Interest SA and Corruption Watch issued the calls following a significant legal development on Monday, when the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg granted a final forfeiture order covering assets worth approximately R326 million linked to the alleged Maumela syndicate.

R326 million in luxury assets forfeited

The forfeiture order, which follows a preservation order granted on 14 August 2025, covers luxury properties in some of South Africa's most exclusive suburbs. Also seized are several high-performance vehicles, including a Lamborghini Urus, Huracan STO, Aventador SVJ and Aventador Ultimate, a Bentley Continental GT V8, an Isuzu D-Max, a luxury boat, and a multipurpose trailer.

Read also

South Africans react after Chidimma Adetshina's lawyer previously caught using AI

Despite this, Maumela has not been arrested and has remained largely absent from the public eye throughout the legal proceedings. Maumela is the nephew of President Cyril Ramaphosa through a previous marriage, though Ramaphosa has consistently stated that the two do not share a personal relationship and has distanced himself from the matter.

See post here:

"Freezing cars is not a substitute for prison cells"

In a statement shared with Briefy News, the Ahmad Kathrada Foundation was direct in its assessment, stating that seizing luxury vehicles and mansions cannot replace criminal accountability.

"True accountability requires the National Prosecution Authority to secure criminal convictions and lengthy jail sentences for every tender kingpin who stripped Tembisa Hospital of healthcare resources," the foundation said.

The organisation also highlighted the severity of the alleged crimes, noting that the forfeited assets exposed how perpetrators used "blood money" meant for public health to fund lives of extreme affluence.

Read also

Emfuleni fleet manager Lerato Mpholo remanded in custody over municipal vehicle tender fraud

The civil society groups called on government to treat Maumela the same as any ordinary citizen, regardless of his political connections.

The calls place renewed pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority to move beyond asset recovery and pursue criminal convictions in the Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.

NPA says Maumela case is top priority

Previously, Briefly News reported that NPA National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Andy Mothibi said that Hangwani Morgan Maumela’s matter will be given priority attention. Advocate Mothibi said that while the NPA continued doing its work without fear, favour or prejudice, it also needed to prioritise those matters that the public was shining a spotlight on. He stated that Maumela’s matter was one of those.

Source: Briefly News