Latest news with #Saxonwold
News24
5 days ago
- Business
- News24
Bargain hunters bid for Gupta properties, but only one multimillion-rand home sells
Just one of the three Gupta family's homes in Saxonwold was sold at an auction on Thursday. Number 3 Saxonwold Drive, a four-bedroom home worth R5.5 million, which has fallen into disrepair, was sold for R3.3 million. The home is 349m2 and the City charges monthly rates of R6 304.81 on the property. All three of the interlocking homes and their contents went on auction on Thursday, and most of the bidders, wanting to remain anonymous, bid online. Number 5 Saxonwold, the home where most of the family's nefarious deals were said to have been struck, according to the auctioneers, received a bid of R4 million, and Park Village Auctions refused to entertain a bid of below R5 million. The building is 1 547m2 and is worth R21.7 million. The municipal rates on this property amount to more than R19 186. Thahasello Mphatsoe/News24 Thahasello Mphatsoe/News24 Thahasello Mphatsoe/News24 Number 7 Saxonwold, a triple-storey house with a checkered roof and rounded facade, which has a municipal value of R36.8 million, only received one bid for R3 million. The rates alone on this property amount to R29 433.78 a month. Meanwhile, the contents of Number 5 Saxonwold, which include an indoor spa, were auctioned off for R100 000. The contents of Number 7 Saxonwold, arguably worth more than the rest of the homes, decorated with original Indian wooden designs, went for R60 000.
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Lavish Homes Left by Fleeing Guptas Up for Sale in South Africa
South Africa is selling off three multimillion rand mansions owned by the Gupta brothers, a trio of influential Indian-born businessmen at the center of a corruption scandal that triggered the country's worst political and economic crisis since the end of Apartheid. Atul, Rajesh and Ajay Gupta began buying the properties in Thursday's auction in 2006. There, in Saxonwold, one of Johannesburg's oldest and most affluent neighborhoods, they entertained top politicians and businessmen for at least a decade.
The Herald
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
A walk through the Gupta's properties before auction day
Three properties formerly owned by the controversial Gupta family in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, are set to be auctioned individually on July 24. Located within a single estate, the homes include a three-storey mansion, a single-storey house with three bedrooms, and a 17-bedroom luxury dwelling. The properties once served as the Gupta family's South African residence during their rise to political influence. During a recent media tour hosted by the auctioneers tasked with selling the properties, remnants of their lifestyle, from unused furniture to private prayer rooms and locked safes, offered a rare glimpse into the spaces they left behind when they departed the country in 2018 under a cloud of state capture allegations. The Saxonwold compound was where the Gupta family wined and dined politicians in what was widely viewed as part of a strategy to capture state influence and secure government contracts. The Guptas fled South Africa and are being pursued by the government to face criminal charges. First on the tour is house number five, a three-storey compound known among staff and auctioneers as 'the white house'. From the outside, it appears as if the façade is weeping, the white paint peeling and curling off the walls like old wallpaper, revealing the brick beneath. You are not welcomed by grandeur. Instead, it's the blue park village auction posters pasted on pillars that meet your eye first, declaring the property's impending fate. Inside, the house feels cold. Not just in temperature but in spirit. There is a faint scent of abandonment and stale air that clings to the corridors. Light filters through thick curtains and dust dancing in the rays. The house has eight bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Some rooms still cradle remnants of life, dusty bed sheets, half-burnt candles, unopened shower gels and forgotten toys. It's like time hit pause, but only for some things. In one room, a prayer space is preserved with uncanny stillness. Two red chairs, incense, salts, candles and a picture of their deity remain, untouched. It feels sacred almost off-limits even now. All the electronics have been ripped from the walls. Wires dangle where televisions used to hang. Yet old-school telephones remain beside each bed. There is mould in corners of the bedrooms, fed by roof leaks and disuse. Portraits signed by artist June Tuckett, hang slightly skew on the walls. According to Art Market Tuckett is an 'artist born in South Africa in 1944. The artist's works have gone up for sale at public auction 75 times, mostly in the painting category.' The indoor swimming pool still holds water, stagnant, cloudy and green. At the back, the garden remains lush with trees and flowers, but the grass is beginning to die. Nature is trying to reclaim what power it has left behind.
News24
20-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Edgar Lungu funeral feud; State lottery alarm: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. Saxonwold shebeen on sale: Opulence, neglect and the bitter legacy of the Guptas - The Gupta's Saxonwold compound, once a symbol of state capture and lavish wealth, now stands abandoned and decaying, revealing remnants of luxury and hasty departure. - The properties, featuring opulent amenities like spas and cinemas, are up for auction after years of legal battles, with proceeds going to creditors. - The state of the compound reflects the Guptas' fall from power and serves as a reminder of the authorities' failure to bring them to justice for their role in state capture. ALS Paramedics/Supplied Missing Comrades Marathon runner was among dozens hospitalised after race - Moira Harding, a Comrades Marathon runner who went missing for 15 hours after the race, was among 37 runners hospitalised. - Harding has been discharged from the hospital but has no memory of getting lost and is undergoing treatment for a chest infection and occupational therapy. - Race organisers and doctors noted an above-average number of runners requiring medical assistance, potentially due to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, exhaustion, and a disorganised finish area. NSFAS advised to scrap deals worth R1.3bn with IT firms amid student housing crisis - NSFAS paid more than R1.3 billion to four unaccredited IT companies to disburse student accommodation payments, leading to a student housing crisis. - A legal opinion advises NSFAS to cancel the contracts due to irregularities, including the IT companies' lack of financial service provider status and failure to properly manage the online portal. - The student housing crisis has resulted in unsafe living conditions, non-payment issues, and students allegedly trading sex for accommodation, prompting Rental Housing Tribunal hearings. Philippe Wojazer/pool/AFP Zambia's Hichilema apologises to Ramaphosa for drama over return of Lungu's body - Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema apologised to President Cyril Ramaphosa for delays in repatriating former president Edgar Lungu's body, caused by tensions between Lungu's family and the Zambian government over funeral arrangements. - Lungu's family halted the repatriation, accusing the government of sidelining them in decision-making, despite earlier agreements and preparations for a state funeral in Zambia. - Hichilema declared the national mourning period over, urging unity and calm, while the South African government will continue to hold Lungu's remains until the dispute is resolved. Alarm raised over plans for state-run lottery - The South African government plans to nationalise the lottery when the current operator's licence expires in 2034, requiring the new Sizekhaya Consortium to help develop state skills and infrastructure. - Critics warn that a state-run lottery could increase corruption, citing past financial mismanagement in parastatals and government entities. - The Request for Proposals for the new licence mandates that bidders support the state in developing the capacity to operate the lottery, including transferring technology rights. Paul Harding/Gallo Images Proteas Test captain Bavuma ruled out of Zimbabwe series - Temba Bavuma is out of the Test series against Zimbabwe due to a hamstring injury sustained in the World Test Championship final. - Keshav Maharaj will captain the Proteas in Bavuma's absence for the two matches in Bulawayo. - Several key players are being rested, while Lhuan-dré Pretorius and Lesego Senokwane received their first Test call-ups. DRIVEN | Hyundai enters new energy vehicle tango in SA with fresh Sante Fe Hybrid SUV - Hyundai SA has introduced its first hybrid vehicle, the Sante Fe Hybrid seven-seater SUV, despite having successful electric cars in global markets. - The Sante Fe Hybrid features a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor, offering a total output of 175kW and 367Nm, along with various safety and convenience technologies. - Priced at R1 249 900, the Sante Fe Hybrid Elite AWD comes with a seven-year/200 000km warranty and an eight-year/160 000km warranty for the hybrid battery pack.
