Presidency denies claims Ramaphosa visited Maumela, says he was just jogging
The Presidency has pushed back against swirling social media claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Sandton home of Hangwani “Morgan” Maumela amid a high-stakes corruption probe, insisting instead that he was merely out exercising.
A video that circulated online shows the president standing with two men outside the vicinity of Maumela’s mansion, leading to speculation that he was there to pay a visit to the businessman, who stands at the centre of the embattled Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.
Maumela is accused of orchestrating the siphoning of over R2-billion through dubious contracts linked to state health infrastructure.
But in a swift response, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya dismissed the notion of a meeting, saying the president was simply doing his routine walk. According to Magwenya, Ramaphosa was unaware of Maumela’s property in the area and did not intend to stop there.
The timing of the video is politically sensitive. It emerged shortly after the Asset Forfeiture Unit raided Maumela’s residence, seizing luxury assets including Lamborghinis and high-value art. The raid forms part of a broader investigation into how public funds were allegedly looted via contracts at the Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng.
As things stand, the Presidency’s framing is clear, “the President was jogging, not visiting Maumela.”