President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has again sought to distance him from corruption-accused tenderpreneur Hangwani Morgan Maumela after social media videos and allegations suggesting they had regular meetings.
Speaking during a media briefing on Monday on the president’s schedule, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said a video circulating on social media showing Ramaphosa outside Maumela’s house was a coincidence. Ramaphosa happened to be taking his regular walk in the vicinity of Maumela’s house when the video was taken, he said.
The president did not even know whose house it was at the time, Magwenya said.
“The other dynamic about this street in particular, it’s a street that the president uses regularly when he takes walks or drives past and, naturally, he will drive past this house because the street is not too far from his home in Hyde Park.
“So it’s not uncommon to see the president’s convoy in that street or to see him walking in that street because it’s really close to his house,” Magwenya said, adding that Maumela’s house was less than 2km from the president’s house.
Maumela has been under the spotlight after an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which led to a raid and some of his luxury vehicles being attached.
Slain state official Babita Deokaran flagged Maumela’s companies in suspected tender corruption at Tembisa Hospital, from which his family trust allegedly amassed more than R2.3bn.
In 2022, Ramaphosa’s office stated that Maumela was the son of his ex-brother-in-law from a previous marriage, but denied any relationship with him.
Magwenya said only four categories of people can claim to see the president every week, namely his family, staff, security protocol and ANC officials. Social media has been ablaze with some people claiming Ramaphosa had regular meetings with Maumela.
“The president maintains that he has no personal relationship with Maumela. He is not related to him, except that he was once married to his aunt, many years ago. And so we do note the ongoing desperate attempt from some quarters of the media and others on social media to continue perpetuating this falsehood and seeking to link the president to this gentleman,” Magwenya said.
He said it was Ramaphosa who signed the proclamation that lifted the lid on the extent of the corruption and criminality in and around the Tembisa Hospital.
“In this regard, the president calls on all law enforcement agencies to accelerate their criminal investigations into the Tembisa Hospital matter to expedite the arrest of all those involved without fear or favour and regardless of who they are, or purported to be related to.”
(Times LIVE)