Presidency clarifies viral video showing Ramaphosa outside alleged tender fraudster's Sandton home

President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected allegations linking him to alleged tender fraud mastermind Hangwani Maumela, after viral video footage showed him outside the businessman’s home.

In the video, Ramaphosa is seen outside Maumela’s mansion in Sandton during what appeared to be a fitness walk, prompting speculation about a possible association between the two. Maumela has been identified by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) as a key figure in the R2 billion Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.

The Presidency addressed the allegations during a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday afternoon.

Maumela’s three-storey mansion in Sandton was raided last week by the SIU over his alleged involvement in looting Tembisa Hospital tenders. Following the raid, video footage surfaced on social media showing President Cyril Ramaphosa posing for photos outside the property with three individuals, including popular radio DJ Tbo Touch.

Presidency Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said this happened in 2023 and further clarified that the President wasn’t even aware he hadbeen standing outside Maumela’s home.

"Indeed, you see the president in front of [Maumela’s] house, but they were not visiting or coming out of the house," Magwenya says. "It just so happened that Tbo Touch stopped his car to greet the president as he was walking past what we now know as Maumela’s house."

He said the route the President takes during his regular fitness walks happens to pass by Maumela’s home.