Tribunal orders sale of Maumela's R9.5 million Ferrari linked to Tembisa Hospital corruption

Court authorises sale of R9.5 million Ferrari amid Tembisa Hospital corruption probe.

The Special Tribunal has authorised the sale of a Ferrari SF90 Stradale linked to the ongoing investigation into procurement irregularities at Tembisa Hospital .

The high-end car belongs to alleged tender fraudster Hangwani Morgan Maumela, a prominent figure in the Special Investigating Unit's (SIU) investigation.

The authorisation comes after the tribunal's president, Judge Bernard Makgabo Ngoepe, dismissed attempts by Maumela, his associates, as well as his mother, Mboneni Benedicta Maumela, a former senior official in the Limpopo Department of Health, to block the sale.

The judge accused them of acting in bad faith by frustrating efforts to establish the vehicle's ownership.

The application was brought by curator Jacobus Gideon Louw van Wyk, who argued that selling the vehicle was necessary to protect the value of the estate while the main case remains unresolved.

He told the tribunal that the Ferrari continued to incur significant monthly storage, insurance and maintenance costs, and that investing the proceeds would better preserve the restrained asset.

The Maumelas opposed the sale, insisting that the MHR Maumela Family Trust owned the Ferrari and that the trust's consent was required before it could be sold. They also disputed claims that the vehicle was depreciating, arguing instead that it was appreciating in value.

Judge Ngoepe rejected those arguments after examining the evidence regarding the vehicle's ownership.

The court heard that the curator repeatedly sought clarity on who legally owned the Ferrari. Initially, he was informed that Drive Time Auto CC owned it, a position supported by the opposing respondents. However, Drive Time Auto CC later confirmed on three occasions that it had no ownership rights or interest in the vehicle.

The judge found that, shortly before the application was launched, the Family Trust had the vehicle registered in its name without informing the curator, despite a preservation order prohibiting the transfer of the Ferrari to another entity, including the trust.

Judge Ngoepe described the registration as a "stratagem" designed to frustrate the sale and ruled that the respondents' conduct amounted to bad faith.

Although the curator initially argued that the Ferrari was rapidly losing value, the tribunal found that the evidence did not support that claim.

Independent valuations placed the vehicle's value at just over R10.1 million, while purchase offers ranged from R10 million to nearly R11 million.