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The fast and the fraudulent: Hamilton Ndlovu’s supercar fleet to go under hammer

Going nowhere fast in one of his flashy supercars is something of the distant past for personal protective equipment (PPE) fraud-accused Thabiso Hamilton Ndlovu these days.

The much-bragged-about fleet of the Hamilton Holdings CEO has been “parking off” at Park Village Auctions and are set to go under the hammer next Wednesday.

Hamilton Ndlovu: Supercar fleet auction

The cars include a Porsche Panamera GTS Sport, a Porsche Cayenne S Coupe, a Grand Cherokee SRT and a Lamborghini Urus.

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Just in case you are interested in getting behind the wheel of one of these magnificent machines allegedly obtained from ill-begotten gains, registrations for the auction are still open with a R7 000 deposit per bidder.

ALSO READ: ‘Why is it an issue?’: Kunene hits back at criticism of him promoting Ace of Spades alcohol ‘special’

Life of opulence funded by fraud

On that note… let’s take a look at Ndlovu’s rap street.

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A Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation recently found that the tenderpreneur pilfered nearly 90% of the PPE tender contracts worth R172 million from the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) during the Covid-19 state of disaster in 2020.

In September 2021, the SIU and the NHLS obtained a Special Tribunal order to prohibit Ndlovu from disposing of his assets, valued at R42 million.

And, as is seemingly the case with most corruption accused, he wasted no time in splurging most of the money on houses, furniture, investments, personal luxuries… and those exotic cars.

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According to the SIU, there was also evidence of a R16 million cash withdrawal by the 34-year-old engineering solutions company CEO.

ALSO READ: Hammanskraal cholera: Edwin Sodi’s R295m Rooiwal tender… where did the money go?

Hamilton Ndlovu: The brag post that set of alarm bells

Businessman Hamilton Ndlovu took to social media to post images of some of the high-end vehicles he had purchased for himself and his family, valued at about R11-million during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.

The ostentatious millionaire caused quite the stir two years ago on social media when he uploaded videos of his new fleet of luxury cars.

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The estimated value of the five coveted luxury vehicles which he bought for himself, and his family members, totalled R10 million.

Ndlovu’s bashful display of extravagance was slammed for being tone-deaf and insensitive during a time when thousands of South Africans were losing their jobs as a result of the lockdown, or lost their lives due to the pandemic.

WATCH: Ndlovu shows off his ‘one-day only’ car purchases

Taxing times

Ultimately, the viral videos uploaded by the tax-shy Ndlovu (apparently the last time he paid his taxes was in 2016) also caught the eye of SA Revenue Service (Sars) and the Hawks.

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In September 2020, Sars executed a provisional preservation order against businessman Hamilton Ndlovu and his companies, seizing three of his Porsches and freezing over R6 million in his bank accounts, according to Daily Maverick.

In May 2021, the preservation order granted to Sars was confirmed by acting Deputy Judge President of the Gauteng division Roland Sutherland at the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria:  

“Apparently, there are people at Sars who… follow social media. They looked into his tax affairs and were impressed that Ndlovu had spared Sars the burden of reading any tax returns since 2016. They referred the big spender to the Illicit Economy Unit who have a keen interest in mismatched income and expenditure phenomena.” 

ALSO READ: Judge confirms Hamilton Ndlovu’s R36m tax bill

Pay back the money, Mr Ndlovu!

The SIU, which was tasked to investigate allegations of corruption, malpractice and irregularities in the procurement of goods and services during the Covid state of disaster, found that Ndlovu was involved in corruption, which led to him being awarded PPE tenders.

In September 2021, the SIU and the NHLS obtained a Special Tribunal order to at prevent Ndlovu from disposing of his assets valued at R42 million.

This legal action sought to recover public funds that were allegedly siphoned from the state through acts of corruption, fraud, and illicit financial flows.

During a ruling on 7 June 2022, Judge Lebogang Modiba ordered the auction or sale of all assets owned by Ndlovu and his affiliated companies to reclaim the outstanding debt owed to the NHLS.

NOW READ: Journalist raked over coals for questioning legitimacy of Hamilton Ndlovu’s wealth

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By Cornelia Le Roux