SARS slaps Hangwani Maumela’s mother, Mboneni Benedicta Maumela with a massive R39,9 million tax assessment, including penalties and interest.
The assessment covers the 2017 to 2023 tax years, with SARS reportedly telling Mboneni that it had found prima facie evidence of fraud.
Mboneni, a former senior Limpopo Department of Health official who retired in 2021, is challenging the assessment in court.
The hefty tax bill raises questions about her finances during the years under review, particularly given the salaries earned by public servants at her level.
Mboneni was previously reported to have spent about R30 million on two luxury apartments in Sea Point, Cape Town, adding to the Maumela family’s property empire, which has been valued at more than R300 million.
SARS spokesman Siphithi Sibeko said the revenue service could not discuss Mboneni’s tax affairs because of strict confidentiality laws.
“SARS is bound by the confidentiality provisions of the Tax Administration Act and, as such, cannot comment on the tax affairs of any specific taxpayer. This includes confirming or denying the existence of investigations or any interactions between SARS and a taxpayer.
“SARS is therefore not in a position to comment on the allegations referred to in your question or on whether any case has been opened against the individual concerned,” Sibeko said.
The tax assessment adds to mounting pressure on the Maumela family amid investigations into alleged corruption involving government contracts.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered what it described as three coordinated syndicates allegedly involved in the looting of more than R2 billion meant for healthcare at Thembisa Hospital.
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The SIU identified the Maumela, Mazibuko and X syndicates, with the Maumela syndicate allegedly linked to businessman, Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.
According to the SIU, the Maumela syndicate allegedly siphoned more than R816,5 million from Thembisa Hospital through 1 728 purchase orders while bypassing normal procurement controls.
The investigation followed concerns raised by slain former Gauteng Department of Health chief director of financial accounting, Babita Deokaran, who had flagged irregularities within the hospital’s supply chain management processes.
Deokaran was murdered in 2021.
Maumela has also been linked to North West businessman, Suliman Carrim, with the Madlanga Commission probing the relationship between Maumela, Matlala and Carrim, including how transactions between them were conducted.
The Maumela family suffered another major blow last month when the Joburg High Court ordered the final forfeiture of assets worth about R326 million allegedly linked to the Maumela syndicate.
The assets include a house in Zimbali Coastal Estate valued at R9,4 million, a Bantry Bay property worth R88,5 million, and a Sandton property valued at R71,6 million.
Four Lamborghini vehicles worth about R52 million and a Bentley valued at R4,2 million were also among the luxury assets targeted.
Despite the civil proceedings involving Maumela and the alleged syndicate, he hasn’t been criminally charged.
Questions around the handling of the investigations also came under the spotlight at the Madlanga Commission.
Former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head, Andrea Johnson told the commission in July 2026 that the Thembisa Hospital investigation did not fall under IDAC’s mandate.
Johnson said the matter was referred by the SIU to the Hawks.
She was responding to questions about why IDAC appeared to be pursuing Matlala while Maumela wasn’t being investigated by the unit.
“The Thembisa Hospital matter, in all of its forms, however many legs of investigation it has, and whomever the persons and entities of interest are, had been referred around about 2020 or thereabouts by the SIU to the DPCI,” she testified.
“The DPCI has always been vested with this matter, the Thembisa Hospital, whether it’s skinny jeans, whoever they are, who’s behind the scenes, whether Maumela is involved or not, etc. All of it lies within the ambit of the DPCI.”
