Court orders SIU to hand back seized supercars linked to Hangwani Maumela probe

Supercars, court orders and unanswered questions

For months, the sight of seized supercars, Aston Martins, Ferraris and a Rolls-Royce, symbolised the scale of alleged corruption tied to the looting of Tembisa Hospital. Now, a court has ordered that five of those luxury vehicles be returned, dealing a procedural blow to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) while leaving the broader corruption case very much alive.

Last week, former Special Tribunal president Judge Margaret Victor ruled that the SIU must conditionally release the vehicles seized from Omar’s Motor Den in Witbank. The cars were taken as part of a sprawling investigation into businessman Hangwani Maumela, who has been accused of benefitting from more than R2 billion in allegedly corrupt hospital contracts.

SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says they believe the Mpumalanga dealership challenging the seizure of vehicles linked to the alleged R2-billion Tembisa Hospital corruption involving Hangwani Maumela is serving as a proxy for Maumela and others. He says the money trail in the… pic.twitter.com/78woMqv4gk

Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) February 8, 2026

Why the cars were seized in the first place

The SIU first moved on the vehicles in September last year, obtaining a preservation order that allowed it to seize two Aston Martins, two Ferraris and a Rolls-Royce from the dealership. The action followed raids at Maumela’s Sandhurst home, where three Lamborghinis were also confiscated.

Those seizures formed part of a broader crackdown by the Asset Forfeiture Unit, which last year froze assets worth roughly R400 million including luxury homes, multiple supercars, a Bentley and even a boat.

In South Africa, flashy assets have become a familiar visual shorthand for alleged tender corruption, and images of high-end cars linked to Maumela circulated widely on social media, fuelling public outrage.

Why the court stepped in

Judge Victor found that the SIU failed to disclose key information when it initially applied to seize the vehicles from the dealership. Importantly, the court accepted arguments from Omar’s Motor Den that the cars belonged to the business not directly to Maumela or other suspects.

However, this was not a clean win for the dealership. The judge ordered that the vehicles may only be released once Omar’s Motor Den provides financial security equal to each car’s market value, to the satisfaction of the court-appointed curator. The aim, the ruling said, is to protect the state’s interests should forfeiture proceedings succeed later.

SIU cries foul, alleges proxy ownership

The SIU has pushed back strongly against any suggestion that the ruling weakens its case. Spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said investigators believe the dealership is acting as a proxy for Maumela and others implicated in the corruption saga.

According to Kganyago, investigators followed a money trail linked to Tembisa Hospital contracts, which allegedly led them to the dealership. He also clarified that the vehicles being returned are not the same ones seized from Maumela’s home a key detail that has been muddled in public debate.

On social media, reactions have been split. Some users accused authorities of fumbling high-profile corruption cases on technical grounds, while others pointed out that asset preservation battles are often legally complex and do not mean suspects are cleared.

A symbol bigger than the cars

Maumela’s name became synonymous with excess last year after reports emerged that he had allegedly spent R208 million on luxury cars in under two years including a R52 million Pagani Huayra Roadster, one of only 100 ever built.

Whether or not these particular vehicles ultimately return to state custody, the case highlights a familiar South African tension: the race between investigators trying to freeze assets, and well-resourced suspects pushing back through the courts.

For now, the supercars may leave the showroom again, but the corruption investigation driving this saga is far from over.

{Source: The Citizen}

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