SIU Ordered to Return Seized Supercars Linked to Corruption-Accused Businessman Hangwani Maumela

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says its R2 billion fraud probe linked to Tembisa Hospital remains on track, even after the Special Tribunal ordered it to return five luxury vehicles seized during high-profile raids last year.

The unit must hand back two Aston Martins, two Ferraris and a Rolls-Royce to Mpumalanga dealership Omar’s Motor Den, but insists that strict safeguards imposed by the court will ensure the assets – or their value – remain effectively preserved while investigations continue.

In September last year, the SIU obtained a preservation order to seize six supercars from the Omar dealership in Witbank, Mpumalanga, linked to businessman and alleged looting kingpin Hangwani Maumela.

The vehicles formed part of assets worth nearly R900 million that were frozen following simultaneous raids on Maumela’s Sandhurst luxury property in Sandton and on the Emalahleni dealership in October.

What the Special Tribunal decided

Last Friday, former Special Tribunal president Judge Margaret Victor ruled that five of the seized cars must be released back to Omar’s Motor Den, subject to a set of tight conditions designed to protect their value.

The order covers:

• Two 2023 Aston Martins
• A 2021 Ferrari 812
• A 2018 Ferrari 488 GTB
• A 2023 Rolls-Royce

In her judgment, Judge Victor said the release is conditional on the dealership putting up security equal to the current market value of each car.

“The market value of the vehicles shall be determined by an independent third party appointed by the curator bonis in order to calculate the amount of security to be put up,” the judgment reads.

The security will remain in place and can only be released or adjusted by an order of the tribunal.

Omar’s Motor Den is also required to insure the vehicles to the satisfaction of the curator bonis.

Cars can’t be sold without sign-off

The ruling further limits what the dealership can do with the supercars while the preservation order is in place.

If Omar’s Motor Den wants to sell any of the vehicles, the curator bonis must first approve the sale, taking into account:

• The proposed purchase price
• The full details of the buyer (person or entity)
• Any other factors relevant to preserving value for the state, should the assets later be forfeited

This structure means the cars can technically move, but the financial value they represent remains secured under the court’s supervision.

Why the dealer challenged the seizure

Omar’s Motor Den approached the Special Tribunal to challenge the initial seizure, arguing that the SIU had not made full disclosure when it obtained the preservation order.

The dealership said the SIU failed to reveal that it already had access to eNaTIS (electronic National Administration Traffic Information System) records at the time, showing that Omar’s Motor Den – not Maumela personally – was the registered owner of the vehicles.

The tribunal’s latest decision effectively accepts that the dealership has a strong proprietary interest in the cars, but keeps them under a form of controlled preservation, rather than being held directly in state custody.

SIU: Case still strong despite setback

The SIU has stressed that the decision to return the vehicles does not mean the underlying case has collapsed, nor that the assets are now beyond the state’s reach.

The unit maintains that, with security equivalent to market value, independent valuation, compulsory insurance and tribunal oversight on any sale, the financial benefit of the cars remains secured for potential future recovery – even though they are physically back with the dealer.

The vehicles are part of a wider probe into an alleged R2 billion fraud and corruption scheme at Tembisa Hospital, where Maumela-linked companies are accused of receiving unlawful and irregular payments through inflated or dubious contracts.

The SIU says its broader investigation into those contracts, payments and asset flows is continuing, and further civil recovery steps could follow once the full picture of alleged wrongdoing is placed before the tribunal.