Kathrada Foundation: Seizing Lamborghinis isn’t enough jail Tembisa tender kingpins

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has said that asset forfeiture orders against those accused of looting Tembisa Hospital must be matched by criminal prosecutions, supplier blacklisting and lengthy jail terms.

Foundation welcomes R326m forfeiture but says it is not enough

The Foundation welcomed a R326 million final asset forfeiture order granted by the Johannesburg High Court against the businessman and hospital tender accused, Hangwani Maumela. The order, obtained by the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), seized mansions, Lamborghinis, Bentleys and other luxury assets linked to the syndicate.

Demand for prosecutions, blacklisting and jail

Neeshan Balton, Executive Director of the Foundation, said recovering assets is important but insufficient and urged the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to pursue criminal convictions and prison sentences.

“Buying a supercar with money stolen from a dying patient’s healthcare fund is not just corruption; it is a crime against humanity. The state cannot allow asset forfeiture to become a mere financial penalty or the ‘cost of doing business’ for these networks. We demand that the NPA put these syndicate kingpins behind bars where they belong.”

Sheer cruelty and moral failure, the Foundation says

Balton described the lifestyle bought with alleged proceeds as evidence of the harm done to patients. He said: “While patients at Tembisa Hospital suffered due to broken incubators in overcrowded neonatal wards, acute shortages of life‑saving ICU beds, and a lack of basic surgical gloves, the perpetrators used blood money meant for public health to fund lives of extreme affluence.”

Investigations and outstanding accountability

The Foundation pointed to investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and journalists that exposed a larger criminal network linked to the hospital. It said the seized assets form part of the State’s effort to claw back proceeds allegedly derived from a R2.3 billion hospital corruption scheme.

The Foundation also referenced reporting that another accused figure, Stefan Govindraju, controlled a group of front companies that allegedly extracted R437 million from the hospital’s budget.

Calls for answers on other alleged kingpins

The Foundation warned that asset forfeiture against Maumela cannot be celebrated while other alleged kingpins remained unprosecuted. It named Stefan Govindraju, Rudolph Mazibuko and underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala as individuals who, in the Foundation’s view, still needed to face prosecution, conviction and incarceration.

It also demanded an immediate blanket ban on all 207 service providers flagged in the Tembisa matter and asked the NPA and the Hawks to publish an update on pending criminal charges and arrests related to Maumela, Govindraju and complicit hospital officials.

Babita Deokaran and the scale of alleged looting

Balton said the criminal enterprise was exposed in part through the work of Babita Deokaran, who he said had flagged R850 million in suspicious tenders before she was assassinated. He linked full criminal prosecutions to honouring her efforts and memory.

“As South Africa approaches the anniversary of her death on 23 August 2026, the ultimate tribute to her memory cannot be partial financial asset recovery. It must be the complete criminal prosecution of every syndicate leader, the blacklisting of their front companies, and the incarceration of the masterminds who funded her murder,” he said.

What the Foundation wants next

• Criminal prosecutions and lengthy jail terms for every syndicate leader linked to the Tembisa Hospital scheme.
• Immediate blacklisting of the 207 flagged service providers.
• Transparent public updates from the NPA and the Hawks on pending charges and arrests.

The Foundation described the R326m forfeiture as a significant step in recovering alleged proceeds but insisted that courts and law enforcement must follow with criminal accountability to prevent asset forfeiture becoming merely a financial penalty.