The National Prosecuting Authority’s Assets Forfeiture Unit has secured a final forfeiture order for assets worth about R326 million linked to the alleged Maumela syndicate, which is accused of benefiting from large-scale procurement fraud and corruption at Tembisa Hospital.
The order was granted by the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, almost a year after the court issued a preservation order on 14 August 2025 to prevent the disposal of the assets while investigations continued.
The forfeited assets include luxury homes in some of South Africa’s most exclusive suburbs, high-end vehicles and a luxury boat. Among the properties are residences in Bantry Bay, Sandhurst, Hartbeespoort, Ballito and Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town.
The assets also include several luxury vehicles, among them three Lamborghinis, two Lamborghini Urus SUVs, a Bentley Continental GT V8, an Isuzu D Max bakkie, a multipurpose trailer and a Regency 250 LE3 boat.
According to the NPA, the investigation was triggered by a report compiled by the late Babita Deokaran, the former Chief Director for Financial Accounting at the Gauteng Department of Health, who was assassinated on 23 August 2021.
Deokaran had reported suspected procurement irregularities within Tembisa Hospital’s supply chain management system, prompting a wide-ranging investigation into contracts awarded between January 2019 and August 2022.
The NPA said its forfeiture applications were based on forensic investigations into allegations of procurement fraud and corruption involving contracts awarded by the hospital.
As part of the investigation, the National Treasury’s Specialised Audit Services Unit reviewed payment records from Tembisa Hospital’s Basic Accounting System and examined supplier information from the Central Supplier Database and Companies and Intellectual Property Commission records.
The review covered payments made between April 2016 and August 2022 and sought to identify companies linked to the alleged scheme.
According to the NPA, the investigation confirmed what it described as possible large-scale corruption involving 14 companies allegedly controlled by the Maumela syndicate.
The companies are believed to have unlawfully benefited from contracts awarded by Tembisa Hospital with a combined value exceeding R400 million.
Investigators uncovered what they described as extensive manipulation of procurement processes that allegedly ensured contracts were awarded to companies linked to the syndicate.
The investigation found that some companies listed as having submitted quotations denied participating in the bidding process. In other instances, investigators said companies were allegedly used to submit cover quotations that favoured businesses associated with the syndicate.
Financial analysis also showed that much of the money paid to the companies was allegedly diverted towards purchasing luxury assets, paying bribes to officials and cover-quoting companies, and funding what investigators described as extravagant lifestyles.
The NPA said only a small portion of the funds could potentially be linked to the purchase of goods supplied under the contracts.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Andy Mothibi said the forfeiture order formed part of the state’s efforts to combat corruption and recover the proceeds of crime.
“The pursuit of justice for the people of South Africa continues, particularly in the fight against corruption. Our people become victims of crime and corruption when they face inadequate healthcare, under resourced health facilities, medicine shortages and a lack of essential equipment. This is a travesty of justice,” Mothibi said.
He added that the Assets Forfeiture Unit remained an important mechanism for disrupting organised crime by ensuring criminal syndicates could not use the proceeds of crime to challenge the state.
Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions responsible for the Assets Forfeiture Unit, Advocate Chuma Mtengwane, said all recovered funds would be paid into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account.
He said the money would be ringfenced for use by the Gauteng Department of Health, with the Criminal Asset Recovery Committee responsible for ensuring that the recovered proceeds were appropriately utilised.
NPA national spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the forfeiture order demonstrated the value of cooperation between government agencies investigating complex corruption cases.
“The outcome demonstrates the impact of collaborative efforts by government agencies working together in the fight for justice,” Kganyago said.
