The High Court in Pretoria has rejected an urgent application by businessman Morgan Maumela and the MHR Maumela Family Trust to block the sale of a Ferrari SF90 Stradale seized as part of a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into alleged corruption and maladministration at Tembisa Hospital.
The judgment allows SIU-appointed curator Jacobus Gideon Louw van Wyk to proceed with the disposal of the luxury vehicle, provided it is sold for at least R9.5 million.
The Ferrari is among several luxury vehicles placed under preservation in terms of an order issued by the Special Tribunal in September 2025 during the SIU investigation into alleged wrongdoing at Tembisa Hospital.
The investigation centres on allegations that about R2 billion in public funds was looted through corruption and maladministration at the hospital.
The SIU said the curator was granted permission by the Special Tribunal on 13 August 2026 to sell the Ferrari, with the proceeds to be deposited into an interest-bearing trust account until the civil proceedings have been concluded.
Maumela and the MHR Maumela Family Trust subsequently approached the High Court in an attempt to stop the sale.
They argued that the Ferrari could increase in value over time and should consequently remain preserved until the legal proceedings were finalised.
The High Court, however, dismissed their urgent application.
According to the SIU, the court found that the Tribunal order permitting the sale was an interim measure concerning the management of preserved property and was not automatically suspended by the launch of an appeal.
The court further found that Maumela and the trust had failed to establish a clear legal right to prevent the Ferrari from being sold.
They also failed to demonstrate reasonable prospects of success in their appeal or prove that selling the vehicle would expose them to irreparable harm, according to the SIU.
The court found that the Ferrari’s value would remain protected because the proceeds from the sale would be placed in an interest-bearing trust account until the main civil proceedings are concluded.
The curator had also argued that retaining the vehicle would continue to generate insurance, maintenance and storage expenses, potentially reducing the value of the preserved asset.
According to the SIU, the curator maintained that selling the Ferrari would safeguard its monetary value while providing funds that could assist with the upkeep of other assets under curatorship.
The SIU welcomed the judgment, saying it confirmed the legal mechanisms available to manage and recover assets allegedly connected to corruption.
“The judgment affirms the principle that preserved assets may be managed in a practical manner that protects and preserves their value while legal proceedings continue,” said SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho.
The unit said the ruling further confirmed the Special Tribunal’s role in overseeing property placed under preservation orders while civil recovery proceedings remain pending.
The SIU’s investigation into Tembisa Hospital centres on allegations of extensive corruption and maladministration involving public money.
The investigative body said it remained focused on recovering funds allegedly lost by the State and protecting assets connected to unlawful conduct.
It added that information uncovered during the investigation indicating possible criminal offences had been submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority for consideration and possible prosecution.
The planned Ferrari sale forms part of the broader effort to preserve and recover assets allegedly connected to the Tembisa Hospital corruption investigation as the related legal proceedings continue.
