‘I’ll Give You Some Love’: Ramaphosa’s Sandton Stroll Raises More Questions Than Answers

South Africans have seen plenty of political coincidences, but this one hit differently.

A video circulating online shows President Cyril Ramaphosa outside an R86 million Sandhurst mansion, smiling and embracing Hangwani Maumela, the businessman accused of siphoning hundreds of millions from Tembisa Hospital. As they hug, the president can be heard saying, “I’ll give you some love.”

The timing couldn’t be worse. The video surfaced just a day after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) raided the same property as part of a R2 billion fraud probe linked to public healthcare contracts.

‘Pure Coincidence’, Says Presidency

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya moved quickly to calm the storm, insisting the encounter was unplanned and innocent.

According to Magwenya, Ramaphosa was simply taking one of his informal walks from his Hyde Park home. He was accompanied by Deputy Labour Minister Jomo Sibiya, then still his advisor, when they were stopped by radio personality Tbo Touch and US Bishop Noel Jones.

Magwenya says the video was taken during that interaction and that the president had no idea Maumela owned the mansion.

“He loves to walk whenever he finds time,” Magwenya said. “He regularly passes that house and didn’t know it was Maumela’s.”

He also stressed that Ramaphosa and Maumela are not personally close, though they are distantly connected through a previous marriage.

But SA Isn’t Buying It

On social media, skepticism is running wild.

Many South Africans have questioned how the president “accidentally” ends up hugging a man accused of fronting 41 companies used to drain state funds. Others argue that even if the encounter was spontaneous, the optics are disastrous in a country exhausted by corruption.

Memes, commentary and outrage have flooded X (Twitter), with phrases like “coincidence of the century” and “Walk of Corruption” trending by Sunday afternoon.

Inside the Tembisa Scandal

The SIU has linked Maumela to a sprawling syndicate accused of looting public health budgets through fake invoices, inflated tenders and non-existent deliveries.

Key facts revealed by investigators:

• R820 million allegedly siphoned in just two years

• 41 shell companies linked to Maumela

• Assets worth R900 million frozen or seized so far

• Three Lamborghinis, luxury art, designer furniture confiscated during the raid

The broader scandal involves over R2 billion in dodgy contracts at Tembisa Hospital, the same institution where Babita Deokaran raised the alarm before she was assassinated in 2021.

A Mansion That Speaks Volumes

The Sandhurst compound where the video was filmed is no ordinary Joburg home.

Public records show the MHR Maumela Family Trust bought two adjacent plots:

• R70 million in 2021

• R16 million in 2022

They were merged into a three-story estate with multiple wings, infinity pools, manicured gardens, a hair salon and a private car wash. The area is home to high-profile politicians and business elites, including Julius Malema.

After the SIU raid, security guards in black shirts now patrol the entrance, warning passersby to “leave or be assisted to leave.” Maumela himself hasn’t been seen since Thursday.

Ramaphosa’s Defense: No Ties, No Favors

Magwenya insists the president has never held private dealings with Maumela and even reminded the public that before Ramaphosa became deputy president in 2014, he instructed his immediate family to cut all business ties with the state.

“Maumela was not part of that meeting because he is not an immediate family member,” he added.

Optics vs Intent

Even if everything went down exactly as the Presidency describes, the visual, the hug, the timing, the setting has landed badly.

In a country haunted by corruption fatigue, many South Africans no longer judge politicians by their statements, but by the company they keep even “accidentally.”

And while Ramaphosa may insist it was all just a walk, the public seems to think it looks a lot more like damage control on the move.

{Source: IOL}

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