Mpumalanga luxury car dealer Yusuf Omar has accused the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) of conducting a “sloppy” investigation and misrepresenting facts to the courts in its ongoing efforts to seize luxury vehicles linked to alleged Tembisa Hospital corruption kingpin Hangwani Morgan Maumela.
Omar, the owner of Omar Motor Den in eMalahleni responded after his arrest on 5 June ,during an SIU operation targeting a Bentley Continental GT allegedly connected to Maumela’s asset portfolio.
He had allegedly refused to assist police officers in locating the vehicle.
The businessman though maintains that his dealership lawfully purchased the vehicles in question, acted in good faith throughout the investigation and has been unfairly portrayed as obstructing law enforcement authorities.
In a clip, speaking publicly about the matter, Omar claimed the SIU had previously suffered a significant legal setback involving several luxury vehicles that investigators attempted to attach from his dealership.
According to Omar, SIU officials and the sheriff arrived at Omar Motor Den in October 2025 seeking to seize a Rolls-Royce, two Aston Martins and two Ferraris, which they believed were connected to Maumela.
However, Omar said his attorneys pointed out that neither he nor his dealership had been cited as respondents in the preservation order.
“They opportunistically got a court order against the vehicles by lying to the tribunal that the vehicles were owned and registered in the name of Maumela,” Omar alleged.
He further claimed that investigators already possessed information showing the vehicles were registered in Omar Motor Den’s name before approaching the court.
According to Omar, the sheriff ultimately declined to execute the order after concerns were raised regarding the dealership’s exclusion from the proceedings.
To demonstrate what he described as” good faith cooperation”, Omar said his legal team reached an arrangement with the curator and provided security for the value of the vehicles while ownership disputes were resolved.
He further alleged that when the matter later came before court, the tribunal criticised the SIU’s investigation and ultimately set aside the preservation order relating to the Rolls-Royce, two Aston Martins and two Ferraris.
Omar said the SIU was also ordered to pay legal costs arising from the matter.
“Our lawyer has told us that the SIU’s conduct resulted in a cost order and that the cost order will be approximately R1 million for the legal fees,” he said.
Turning to the latest dispute involving the Bentley Continental GT, Omar rejected suggestions that the vehicle recently advertised for sale by his dealership was the same vehicle investigators claimed was being concealed.
He argued that the curator had failed to provide the full context surrounding the vehicle’s ownership history.
According to Omar, attorneys acting for DriveTime informed the curator as early as October 2025 that the Bentley had been sold to Omar Motor Den for approximately R3 million.
He further claimed that supporting documentation relating to the transaction was supplied at the time but that the curator never responded.
“DriveTime’s attorney told the curator in October last year that the Bentley was sold to Omar Motor Den and we paid for the vehicle,” Omar said.
He alleged that despite receiving explanations regarding the vehicle’s ownership, investigators later approached court without disclosing those details.
Omar also disputed allegations that the vehicle had been hidden from authorities.
According to his account, the Bentley was subsequently sold to a customer, later traded back to the dealership and then sold again to another buyer.
He argued that these transactions occurred openly and formed part of ordinary business operations.
“The curator hasn’t been open and honest and explained that the order should never have been obtained in the first place,” Omar alleged.
The luxury vehicle dealer insisted that Omar Motor Den does not sell vehicles on consignment and that every vehicle displayed on its showroom floor is purchased outright by the dealership before being resold.
“We are fully compliant with all authorities. When a vehicle is advertised for sale, it is purchased in a bona fide transaction and paid for,” he said.
Omar maintained that the dealership conducts compliance checks and due diligence on all transactions and had no reason to suspect any criminal links to the Bentley when it was acquired.
“We had absolutely no reason when we purchased the Bentley vehicle that there was any issue concerning the vehicle, that it belonged to any criminal syndicate or that it was not paid for. We are an innocent third party here,” he said.
The dispute forms part of broader efforts by the SIU and other law enforcement agencies to recover assets allegedly linked to Maumela, who has been identified as a central figure in investigations into corruption at Tembisa Hospital.
The MHR Maumela Family Trust has previously been linked to an extensive luxury asset portfolio allegedly accumulated through proceeds of corruption, including high-end properties, boats and luxury vehicles worth hundreds of millions of rand.
The SIU previously stated that the Bentley Continental GT formed part of assets connected to Maumela and alleged that Omar Motor Den failed to disclose that it had possession of the vehicle when served with a preservation order in October 2025.
Investigators further contend that despite multiple ownership transfers, evidence suggests the vehicle remained under Omar’s control, raising concerns that it was being moved to avoid seizure.
The SIU also argued that the dealership breached undertakings made during previous engagements relating to the preservation of assets linked to Maumela and associated entities.
Despite the ongoing legal dispute, Omar said he remains willing to cooperate with investigators and intends to challenge the matter through the courts.
“Whatever the issue is, we will take this issue concerning the Bentley to court. We will show exactly what happened,” he said.
“In the interim, we have told our attorneys to cooperate with the curator, and they are going to do that.”
