Ramaphosa’s nephew scored more than R381 million worth of public hospital contracts

Democratic Alliance Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom is claiming companies linked to Hangwani Maumela, said to be his nephew by marriage to President Cyril Ramaphosa, has scored contracts worth R381 million in the past three years from Gauteng public hospitals.

Presidency has not answered

The presidency has not answered multiple requests for a response. Maumela was a favoured supplier of Tembisa Hospital.

According to Bloom, these were figures revealed by Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to his questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

Twelve companies

In Nkomo-Ralehoko’s response report, it was detailed 12 companies from April 2019 to date received a total of R381.4 million from Gauteng health.

Bloom said out of this amount, R356 million came from Tembisa Hospital, R22 million from Mamelodi Hospital and R2.4 million from a number of other hospitals.

He said the companies were linked to the Maumela family, where Hangwani was a director of nine of these companies.

“I asked her about contracts awarded to 12 companies that got R36 million from Tembisa Hospital last year,” said Blom.

“Murdered whistle-blower Babita Deokaran had identified them as ‘possibly fraudulent’, as well as other suspicious payments totalling R850 million.

Investigation

“According to a News24 investigation, all the contracts were under R500 000 and were therefore signed off by the Tembisa Hospital CEO instead of going out to tender. From available information, it appears that seven of Maumela’s nine companies operate from a single unit in a Sandton residential estate.”

“They do not look like serious companies that provide real products at decent prices.”

Bloom added that Nkomo-Ralehoko admitted that the amount was for medical products. However, none of the listed companies had South African Health Products Regulatory Authority approval for the sale of medical products.

Bloom said there was a clear link to Ramaphosa and it should be determined if Maumela was an ANC funder. “Maumela is a wealthy man. Was the money ever used to fund his CR17 campaigns?” he said.

“He also has ties to Bejani Chauke, who is Ramaphosa’s principal political advisor. They are neighbours in a plush Hyde Park complex in walking distance of Ramaphosa’s private residence.”

It was also established through the central compliance database for government’s reports, some of the companies were not tax-compliant, or were deregistered for a period.

ALSO READ: Babita Deokaran murder: ‘Distant’ relative of Ramaphosa implicated in dodgy Tembisa Hospital tenders