High Court forfeits R326 million in assets linked to Tembisa Hospital case

The Johannesburg High Court has granted the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit a forfeiture order over assets valued at approximately R326 million in the Maumela case. The order, announced by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on 20 July 2026, transfers those assets to the State.

The assets include upmarket properties in Gauteng, Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal, luxury vehicles, and other high-value items. The department states that they were acquired through the proceeds of unlawful criminal activities.

What the order follows

The forfeiture is the outcome of an extensive forensic investigation and a review of Tembisa Hospital’s Basic Accounting System, carried out by the Specialised Audit Services Unit of the National Treasury. The work examined alleged tender fraud and corruption at the hospital.

The investigation was initiated after information was provided by the late Babita Deokaran. The department’s statement records her dedication to accountability and notes that it came at a great personal cost.

What the minister said

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi, welcomed the court’s decision. She said the order demonstrates government’s commitment to ensuring that criminals are deprived of ill-gotten wealth, which in many cases is used to hide their crimes, escape accountability and fight against the State.

What it means for the public purse

A forfeiture order of this size is a direct recovery for the State. Properties in three provinces and a fleet of luxury vehicles now move out of private hands and into the state’s, following a court finding that they are linked to the proceeds of crime.

The case sits inside a wider effort to trace money lost through procurement at public health facilities. Tembisa Hospital’s accounting system was the starting point for the audit work, and the order shows what that kind of forensic review can produce when it is followed through to court.

Media enquiries on the matter are directed to Ms Palesa Rammitlwa, spokesperson to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.

Source: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Read the original item.