Norman Tloubatla. (Madelene Cronje, M&G)
"I want to place it on record that I completely have no dealings with the buyer of the house in Sandown, and have no business, personal, or political association with him," Malema said in a statement on Friday.
The buyer of the three-storey house was Norman Tloubatla, chief executive of the company Magnified Designs.
The property was auctioned on site on Thursday. The house sits on a corner in residential Sandown, opposite a pre-school with children whizzing along on plastic scooters. The shell of a guardhouse welcomes guests into a parking area under the kind of giant arch you see at a hotel entrance. The house is so big that a few bidders said they wanted the premises for their businesses.
Images by Haji Mohamed Dawjee, Instagram
Auctioneer Pieter Geldenhuys said the house was expected to sell for between R4-million and R4.5-million.
Malema bought the property in 2009 for R3.6-million.
He had the existing structure torn down and began building his own mansion.
Malema said he had been inundated with media inquiries regarding the sale of his properties and assets by the South African Revenue Services (Sars) to cover his tax bill.
Malema now owes Sars only R10.1-million in unpaid taxes.
"I will make a statement on all these developments at the appropriate moment, which will not be later than July 2013. This will help to explain many questions in the minds of South Africans, in particular economic freedom fighters, who have called [me] to understand what exactly is happening," he said. – Sapa