Tembisa hospital arson suspect confesses, implicates head of security
Tembisa Hospital has been rocked by a series of devastating fires. A suspected arsonist has been apprehende.
A man accused of setting two devastating fires at Tembisa Hospital has confessed to the crime and implicated the facility's head of security, raising serious concerns about a potential cover-up linked to a major corruption probe.
The suspect, Thembinkosi Manqunyana, 48, appeared in the Tembisa Magistrate's Court on Monday, where he was formally charged with arson. His arrest marks a dramatic turn in the ongoing investigation into the April blazes that disrupted vital hospital services and endangered lives.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that Manqunyana confessed to starting two fires at the hospital — one on April 19 in the Accident and Emergency Unit, and another four days later.
The second fire caused widespread damage, leaving outpatients and chronic patients without essential care for days.
According to a confidential police report handed to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Manqunyana provided a detailed statement outlining the planning, procurement of petrol, execution, and alleged payment arrangement behind the arson. Crucially, the suspect also claimed that the hospital's head of security was directly involved in the commission of the crime.
'He further explained his role and the roles of other participants whom he identified as accomplices,' said Masondo, noting that more arrests are expected as the investigation deepens. Premier Lesufi described the incident as a calculated attack on the public and praised the swift work by investigators.'
Destroying critical public infrastructure is nothing short of treason, and we expect the perpetrators to face the full force of the law,' Lesufi said in an interview on Tuesday.
He revealed that Manqunyana had initially attempted to present himself as a police informant to divert suspicion, but investigators had already identified him as a prime suspect.
The motive behind the fires is believed to be linked to efforts to conceal documents related to irregular Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procurement at the hospital — documents that were reportedly being sought by the Hawks as part of a broader corruption probe.
Tembisa Hospital has been under scrutiny since the 2021 assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran, who flagged suspicious payments and contracts linked to the facility.
Her warnings prompted the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to begin probing over R850 million in questionable procurement deals.
According to officials close to the investigation, some of the destroyed documents were believed to contain key evidence regarding these contracts. These included supplier invoices, tender approvals, and communication records that could potentially implicate senior officials.'
This fire didn't just damage property — it may have been an attempt to erase a paper trail,' said a senior source in the Hawks who requested anonymity.
'The fact that the head of security is now implicated raises serious concerns about how deep the rot may go.'Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni had appointed a special team of seasoned detectives to investigate the arson attacks, which authorities feared could be acts of sabotage.
Their efforts quickly led to Manqunyana's arrest, with investigators piecing together evidence that pointed to deliberate planning and internal assistance. Masondo said that, due to the sensitive nature of the case, further details could not yet be disclosed.
As the Hawks and SIU continue their probe, pressure is mounting on the Gauteng Department of Health to account for the extent of corruption within Tembisa Hospital.
Civil society organisations are also calling for the protection of potential whistleblowers who may now fear for their safety. The case is expected to resume next week, with authorities vowing that all those responsible will be brought to justice.
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He even created a mother persona who did her best to persuade Rob and Linda that the children were in love and that they would be bad parents if they stood in the way. Habib's 'mother' had a 30-minute video call with Rob and Linda, begging them to allow Habib to visit again. They finally agreed to let him come in September 2022. It was here that Habib's plan went wrong. His 'mother' inadvertently disclosed to Linda that she had never been to Cape Town, undermining his story that his parents had been with him in South Africa. 'She' further agreed to send through a copy of his passport. Although the date of birth and ID number were blanked out, the barcode was still visible, which was how authorities were finally able to uncover his age, record and movements. The family were also given the contact details of Tabitha Lage from Hope Risen. Lage described how during her first meeting with Sam, the two of them sat in silence for a whole hour as Sam angrily refused to speak to her. But then the floodgates opened. At Lage's behest, Sam persuaded Habib to move their conversation to WhatsApp which allowed the family to capture evidence (the final three months of their relationship alone produced 2,596 pages of WhatsApps). This had been impossible on Snapchat because of the disappearing messages, and because Habib received notifications when their messages were screenshotted, sending him into an apoplectic rage. No remorse By the time September and the planned second visit arrived, Sam was exhausted from sleepless nights, overwrought from the ongoing barrage of vitriol and abuse, failing at school, and worn down, with her self-esteem in tatters. She would later confess that she felt like it was too late to turn back. Everything was poised for what could have been the day she was trafficked. But then came the police breakthrough, the confiscation of her phone and the intervention that had her in a conference room with the FCS unit of the police, rather than at the gym ready to meet Habib. Instead of feeling grateful though, Sam was devastated. The following day, as she sat with her relieved parents in a restaurant downstairs from their apartment watching the Springboks play rugby, she became more and more anxious until at half-time Rob decided they should leave. Minutes later, his phone began to ping as the restaurant manager, who knew the family well, and who had been given Habib's picture, alerted him that Habib was metres away from their apartment, retracing his steps from the March visit in a frenzied attempt to find Sam. Although he came terrifyingly close to tracking her down, it proved to be his undoing. Even after his arrest, he still had a hold over Sam. Managing to contact her while in prison, he threatened to punish Lage and Sam's parents. She was so certain that he would harm them that she begged him to rather kill her than hurt them. At trial, he showed no remorse or recognition that he had done anything wrong. Finally, more than two years after his arrest, Adam Qasim Lucas Habib was found guilty of human trafficking, production and possession of child pornography, grooming, compelled self-sexual assault, compelling a child to witness sexual offences, flashing and sexual assault. On 4 March 2025, he was sentenced to an effective 40 years in prison. Having already served three, he is facing another 13 years of incarceration. The Johannesburg High Court judgment was landmark because it reinforced that the Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Act doesn't require children to be moved in order for them to be trafficked. Judge Coertse provided a thorough breakdown of the Act, showing that if any of the following criteria were fulfilled, it would constitute trafficking: 'any person who delivers, recruits, transports, transfers, harbours, sells, exchanges, leases or receives another person.' He agreed that the prosecutor had proven that Sam was recruited for sexual exploitation. The judge further explained that Habib had used an 'abuse of vulnerability' to recruit her, leading her to believe that she had no other option than to submit to exploitation. But despite the victory in court, Sam, just months away from becoming an adult, has been significantly scarred by her experience. Captain Botha from the FCS unit testified at Habib's trial that Sam had suffered from child sexual abuse syndrome, presenting with the five classic signs of secrecy, helplessness, entrapment and accommodation, delayed, conflicting and unconvincing disclosure, and retraction. Habib's grooming, which isolated her, met a felt need, created a shared secret, sexualised their relationship and then wore her down through cruelty and control, had altered her self-perception, evident in the way she continued to love and support him despite what he had done – according to Lage, a form of Stockholm syndrome. Educating children While Sam's experience is unique, it is not uncommon. According to Childlight, more than 300 million children are victims of online child sexual abuse and exploitation every year. Prevention requires tech companies to place children's wellbeing over profit and for governments to use legislation to prohibit or at least delay children from accessing harmful platforms including social media and gaming platforms where predators can access them. For worried parents, the changes are coming too slowly. In response, many are delaying access to devices, something Sam endorses for her future children. In addition, educating children about grooming and online exploitation, and keeping open lines of communication wherever possible, are key to safety because even when authorities and families successfully collaborate to protect a child, there are no fairytale endings in child sexual abuse cases. For Sam and her family, healing and recovery may be a long and painful journey. One in eight children has been affected by online solicitation. If you or a family member have been affected by online child sexual abuse and exploitation, contact Childline for assistance on 116. If you want to report an electronic crime, contact Crime Stop on 086 000 10111 and ask to speak to the Serial Electronic Crime (SECI) Unit. Concerned parents who want to delay access to smart devices can join the Smartphone Free Childhood movement. For more information about how this crime affects South African children and the legislative reforms needed to keep our children safer, read ''. DM
IOL News
8 hours ago
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