The Special Investigating Unit’s quest to claw back millions from controversial businessman Thapelo Buthelezi, who has frequently made headlines since 2018 and who was illegally awarded a slew of multimillion rand contracts for emergency medical services, is slowly reaping rewards, reports Daily Maverick.
A number of Buthelezi’s assets have been frozen, most recently a property in a luxury estate in Meyersdal, Gauteng, and a farm in Parys, in the SIU’s efforts to recover R532m from the businessman, whose companies were illegally contracted for ambulance services.
Last year, the Special Tribunal ruled against Buthelezi EMS and its affiliated companies, declaring the Free State Department of Health’s award of multimillion-rand contracts for inter-facility emergency medical services unlawful, unprocedural and unconstitutional.
All of these companies are linked to Buthelezi, who appears to have disappeared and has missed his last two appearances before the court and the Special Tribunal.
Spotlight, with the support of Daily Maverick, played a crucial role in exposing the rot in the Free State Department of Health regarding Buthelezi EMS and his other companies.
Buthelezi EMS clinched these contracts shortly after a multimillion-rand aeromedical service contract in the Free State came to an end.
This one has also been set aside by the Special Tribunal in a separate case, with an order allowing the SIU to recover funds. In that case, the amounts are equally big. Another Buthelezi company, Buthelezi HEMS, was part of a joint venture in the case. In the end, the bill racked up by the Joint Venture was R212m for a three-year contract running between 2015 and 2018.
These included operating fees for the first service operating from Bloemfontein: R55 568 677.39; Aero-Medical Services operating from Bethlehem R35 495 360.10; Operating fees for two helicopters came to R91 154 037.49; Fee increases came to R671 359.74; payment for excess hours flown was R4 782 015.00; extended contract fees were R10 683 401.22; renovation of the various helipads and construction of a hangar (construction-related work) cost R7 950 000.00 and further construction costs paid to sub-contractors were R6 041 479.31.
This judgment further detailed how missing paperwork hampered the SIU’s investigation. In the case, Judge David Mashile also remarked that as a seasoned bidder of public contracts, the representatives of the joint venture, which included Buthelezi, were aware that serious irregularities had taken place, “but chose to look the other way to ensure that the outcome was achieved”.
New ambulance contract
Shortly after this contract came to an end in 2018, Buthelezi EMS landed lucrative state tenders worth hundreds of millions of rands to run hospital and clinic transfer services in the Free State and North West.
In 2025, the SIU concluded civil proceedings to review and set aside these irregular tenders awarded to Buthelezi EMS for the transport of patients between hospitals and clinics, as well as the subsequent contract. Under this contract, the Free State Health Department paid a staggering R532 789 770.12 to four companies linked to Buthelezi, despite having no valid contracts in place.
The payments: Buthelezi One Stop Emergency Med received R40 619,506.40, Buthelezi One Stop EMS R4 739 819.04, Buthelezi EMS R305 196 897.00 and B EMS R182 233 548.12.
In May last year, Buthelezi EMS and its associated companies were ordered to submit audited statements for expenses incurred, income received and profit made under the unlawful contracts.
But Buthelezi never did.
SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho said that on 6 May 2025, the Special Tribunal’s registrar served an order on Buthelezi via email.
“He acknowledged receipt on 15 May, but disputed some time frames. However, he did not comply with the order to submit audited financial statements. This led to a virtual judicial case management meeting on 12 September 2025, requested by the SIU, during which contempt proceedings were initiated against him.
“In his affidavit, Buthelezi acknowledged the order, but cited financial constraints and lack of legal representation as reasons for his non-compliance,” Makgotho said.
Not at court
Makgotho said that at the next hearing, on 23 January 2026, Buthelezi failed to appear. The tribunal issued an interdict in favour of the SIU, freezing one of Buthelezi’s assets, a farm near Parys in the Free State registered under the name of Buthelezi EMS.
On 24 March 2026, the matter regarding the Meyersdal property was heard, and again, Buthelezi failed to appear or bring his legal representatives. The tribunal granted an order interdicting Buthelezi from deposing or selling the property, which is in a luxury estate in Meyersdal, where property prices start at R6m.
Earlier this month – 4 May – President of the Special Tribunal, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, ordered that a property in the Meyersdal Nature Estate be frozen pending the finalisation of an order against the company.
Makgotho said that the further conduct of the matter was at a sensitive phase, and as a result, the court papers could not be made available.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Health MEC defends tender marred by irregularity allegations
Free State Health defies Motsoaledi on ambulance outsourcing
Buthelezi EMS contracts in North West and Free State to be investigated