The Special Tribunal has authorized the immediate seizure of a luxury Bentley Continental GT and issued a contempt of court order against an Emalahleni car dealership, marking a significant escalation in the investigation into procurement irregularities at Tembisa Hospital.

In an urgent ruling delivered on 5  June Judge BM Ngoepe directed the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) Curator Bonis, supported by the South African Police Service and the Hawks, to take possession of the vehicle.

Consequently, a drama unfolded on Fraday afternoon after the owner Yusuf Omar refused to cooperate with the SIU, its Curator, and SAPS and was arrested at his dealership in the town of eMalahleni.

An hour later Omar started cooperating and allowed the SIU, SAPS and Curator to execute the order and, as per the order, take CCTV footage from 22 May 2026 onward.

The Bentley is a restrained asset linked to Morgan (Hangwani) Maumela, a central figure in the SIU’s probe into corruption and maladministration within the Gauteng Department of Health.

The legal action follows an order on 2 June that prohibited Omar’s Motor Den from “dealing with, moving, trading, alienating or dissipating” the car.

According to the SIU statement, the dealership failed to disclose possession of the vehicle when served with a preservation order in October 2025, despite previously stating it intended to “cooperate in good faith” with the investigation.

The SIU’s investigation uncovered a complex chain of transfers designed to move value away from the restrained estate. The Bentley, originally moved by LSM Distributors to the MHR Maumela Family Trust around 2018/2019, passed through DriveTime Auto CC before being acquired by Omar’s Motor Den on October 31, 2025. Evidence suggests the car was then purportedly transferred to Khonile Trading Enterprise CC in February 2026, though investigators believe the vehicle remains in the dealership’s possession.

The Tribunal has called upon the dealership’s owner, Yusuf Omar, to appear in court on 3 July. He must show cause as to why a final order for contempt should not be granted, which could include imprisonment and punitive cost orders.

Pending the return date, the respondents are interdicted from interfering with the Curator Bonis. Furthermore, the court has mandated the preservation of all CCTV footage at Omar’s Motor Den from May 22, 2026, onwards. Should the footage be tampered with or deleted, the Tribunal has authorized an application for Yusuf Omar’s immediate arrest.

The SIU is currently operating under Proclamation No. 136 of 2023 to investigate widespread allegations of fraud at Tembisa Hospital.

The unit clarified that, contrary to “misleading reports,” no vehicles have been returned to Maumela or the dealership. Evidence of criminal conduct uncovered during the civil proceedings is being referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for potential prosecution.

Meanwhile, the South African Police Service confirmed in a statement the suspension of nine police officers who served as members of the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC)  in relation to the Medicare 24, owned by Vusimuzi Cat Matlala, tender process. 

“The affected members have been placed on suspension pending the finalisation of disciplinary and related investigations. The SAPS remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency and ethical conduct in all its operations,” brigadier Athlenda Mathe said in a statement.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) revealed a massive procurement cartel that systematically drained over R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital through a network of shell companies, fraudulent bidding, and inside collusion in September 2025.

The network involving businessman Matlala (across both the Tembisa Hospital looting scandal and the subsequent South African Police Service (SAPS) medical tender represents one of the most high-profile anti-corruption crackdowns in recent South African history.

The then head of the SIU identified three primary syndicates operating within the hospital’s supply chain systems: the Maumela syndicate, the Mazibuko syndicate, and the Acts syndicate.  The Maumela syndicate, primarily driven by tenderpreneur Morgan Maumela, controlled dozens of fronting entities. Investigators linked Cat Matlala directly to this syndicate’s web of activity.

Matlala operated through at least two low-profile entities where he was the sole director: Black AK Trading and Suppliers and Cor Kabeng Trading and Suppliers. These entities were utilized to secure multiple hyper-inflated, small-scale contracts (under the R500,000 threshold to bypass strict public tenders) for medical supplies.

These companies were among the 217 flagged by the assassinated Gauteng health department whistleblower, Babita Deokaran, shortly before her murder in 2021. Deokaran had paused millions in suspicious payments to Matlala’s firms. Following her death, the halted funds were unlawfully released. The SIU later recommended criminal prosecution against Matlala for submitting fraudulent bid documents.

In parliamentary hearings and public statements, Matlala categorically denied all links to the Tembisa Hospital fraud, claiming he was never formally approached by law enforcement and that his companies did legitimate business.

Despite being heavily implicated in the Tembisa Hospital investigation and red-flagged by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Matlala successfully pivoted into the law enforcement procurement space, leading to a major police corruption scandal in 2026 when sope members were arrested and charged.

In June 2024, Matlala’s company, Medicare24 Tshwane District, was awarded a lucrative three-year, R360 million contract to provide “health risk management” and medical services to the 180,000-strong SAPS workforce.

The state maintains that Medicare24 lacked the actual medical facilities, equipment, or specialized staff to execute the tender. However, due to severe institutional collusion, SAPS Bid Evaluation Committee members manipulated the process to favour Matlala’s entity, accepting an artificially deflated bid of roughly R228 million to secure the award.

The contract was eventually cancelled by SAPS, but not before Matlala received a payment of just over R50 million. In March 2026, IDAC and the NPA executed high-level arrests.

Cat Matlala was arrested alongside 12 senior police officers, including several high-ranking Brigadiers and  Major General Busisiwe Precious Temba, on charges of fraud, corruption, and contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The state alleges that multiple police officials received illicit financial kickbacks directly from Matlala out of the R50 million payout.

Matlala chose not to apply for bail during his initial March 2026 court appearance, and the criminal matter has been postponed to mid-2026 for further investigation and docket disclosure.

In early 2026 the NPA and IDAC officially added national commissioner  General Fani Masemola, to the criminal case as Accused Number 17.  

He appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court facing four charges of contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The core of the state’s criminal case centres on his accountability as the Accounting Officer for the South African Police Service (SAPS) when the tender was signed off and awarded to Matlala’s Medicare24.