The Presidency has rejected allegations of any current connection between President Cyril Ramaphosa and fraud-accused businessman Hangwani Morgan Maumela.
This follows a years-old video that resurfaced on social media recently, in which Ramaphosa appears to meet with Maumela outside the latter’s home in Sandton, which was raided by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) last week.
The raid forms part of the investigation into his alleged involvement in the multi-billion Rand looting of Tembisa Hospital.
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Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the video and images were shared by radio and TV personality Tbo Touch in 2023.
He noted that the encounter in the video was purely coincidental. Magwenya explained that the President was walking for exercise with then-special adviser Jomo Sibiya when they were stopped by Tbo Touch.
“As the President’s office, we have gone further to obtain confirmation from DJ Tbo Touch that the video and picture was his original post. He was coming from the airport going to the Saxon Hotel with Bishop Noel Jones. At the time, what we now know as Maumela’s house was under construction. The President had no knowledge of whose house it was. Therefore, we reject the suggestion that the President may have been visiting Maumela’s house as being very far from the truth,” said Magwenya.
He stressed that there was no visit to the house, nor that they were leaving the house at the time the video was taken.
Magwenya further confirmed that Ramaphosa does not have a personal relationship with, or any relation to, Maumela.
“[Ramaphosa] is not related to him except that he was once married to Maumela’s aunt,” said Magwenya.
Magwenya further wanted to “remind the public” that Ramaphosa had signed the proclamation that exposed the corruption at Tembisa Hospital, now urging law enforcement agencies “to accelerate their criminal investigations… regardless of who they are or purported to be related to”.
