The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, has dismissed an urgent application by businessman Morgan Maumela and the trustees of the MHR Maumela Family Trust, clearing the way for the sale of a preserved Ferrari SF90 Stradale valued at no less than R9.5 million.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) welcomed the ruling, which upholds a previous Special Tribunal directive allowing the curator, Jacobus Gideon Louw van Wyk, to liquidate the luxury sports car to prevent ongoing storage, insurance, and maintenance costs from eroding the value of the preserved estate.

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is part of a fleet of luxury vehicles seized in September 2025 under a Special Tribunal preservation order.

The assets are tied to a massive SIU investigation into corruption and maladministration at Tembisa Hospital, where an estimated R2 billion was allegedly looted.

In August 2026, the appointed curator argued that holding onto the high-maintenance vehicle was financially impractical.

The Special Tribunal agreed, ruling that the Ferrari should be sold and the proceeds safely deposited into an interest-bearing trust account until civil recovery proceedings conclude.

Maumela and his trust—dubbed the “Maumela Syndicate” by the Tribunal—challenged the sale, arguing the rare vehicle would appreciate over time and should be kept intact.

After the Tribunal rejected their arguments, Maumela launched an urgent High Court bid to stop the auction pending an appeal.

The High Court soundly rejected the urgent application on multiple grounds:Interim Nature of the Order: The court ruled that the Tribunal’s decision to sell the asset was an administrative, interim order and therefore not automatically suspended by an appeal process.No Clear Right or Irreparable Harm: The applicants failed to prove a legal right to stop the sale or show that they would suffer irreparable harm and Value Protection: The court noted that because the sale proceeds will be preserved in a secure, interest-bearing trust, the financial value of the asset remains entirely protected for whichever party ultimately triumphs in the main litigation.

The SIU hailed the judgment as a major milestone for state asset recovery.

The unit stated that the ruling legally solidifies the practical management of seized property, preventing state-recovered estates from being drained by steep holding costs while cases drag through the court system.

In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU confirmed it has also referred the criminal evidence uncovered during the Tembisa Hospital probe to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for criminal prosecution.

Visit MDNtv YouTube Channel for our video content