Cyril blocks DA’s call for wider SIU probe — but what is he protecting?

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of shielding corruption after he reportedly turned down a request to expand the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe to cover all dealings involving identified corrupt individuals and companies across provincial health departments.

According to the DA, the President’s refusal undermines efforts to root out systemic corruption in the healthcare sector, especially given growing evidence that businessman Hangwani Maumela, one of the key figures in the Tembisa Hospital scandal, attempted to extend his operations beyond Gauteng into the North West province.

DA Shadow Minister of Health Michele Clarke said the party’s request aimed to empower the SIU to fully uncover how Maumela and his network allegedly benefited from irregular contracts and inflated tenders across multiple provinces. “The President’s decision is disappointing. It suggests a reluctance to confront entrenched corruption that continues to cripple public healthcare,” Clarke stated.

Hangwani Maumela has been linked to several questionable contracts at Tembisa Hospital — the same institution where murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran had flagged suspicious payments worth hundreds of millions of rand. The DA argues that the web of corruption uncovered in Gauteng likely mirrors similar patterns in other provinces, warranting a broader investigation.

Transparency advocates have echoed the DA’s concerns, warning that limiting the SIU’s scope could allow corrupt networks to operate freely under provincial jurisdictions. “If corruption in healthcare isn’t confronted nationally, the same individuals will simply shift their operations from one province to another,” said an anti-corruption watchdog.

The Presidency has not yet issued a detailed response to the DA’s claims, but the controversy adds to mounting public pressure for accountability in South Africa’s health sector.

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