JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Nelspruit | Monday
THE Land Bank will auction disgraced former South African ambassador Mangisi Zitha’s palatial home and farm on Friday after the flamboyant politician failed to honour loans with the bank.
The humiliating public auction comes just weeks after Zitha was arrested in a police sting operation at Sun City for allegedly trying to buy unrefined platinum from undercover officers.
Zitha’s attorney, Steve Hefferman, insists that the platinum deal and Zitha’s apparent financial problems were unrelated.
Neither Hefferman nor Land Bank officials will say how much is owed, but local estate agents estimate that Zitha’s 1 400 square metre mansion, which is the size of 42 RDP houses, is worth at least R1-million on its own.
The 240 hectare farm, described as “breathtaking” by the Land Bank, includes a second 200 square metre luxury house, a flat, two large barns, a number of outbuildings, a large avocado orchard and various other fields.
The property, 30km outside the Mpumalanga capital Nelspruit, is being auctioned off after the Land Bank obtained a Pretoria High Court judgement against Zitha.
“Zitha ran into financial trouble when he left Foreign Affairs after serving as South Africa’s ambassador to Mozambique. He also has shares in various companies that have large contracts with government, but none of them have been paid yet and he has therefore failed to meet his loan repayments,” said Hefferman.
“One of the companies, a construction outfit, has been owed money for four months. We’re trying to get government to pay so Zitha can settle his bank debt and stop the auction.”
Zitha is meanwhile scheduled to appear in the Magwase Magistrate’s Court early next month after allegedly attempting to buy 1,5kg of unrefined platinum dust from undercover officers for R40 000 cash.
The platinum is worth an estimated R130 000 on the open market.
Zitha has accused police of illegal entrapment, insisting that police informers alternatively harassed and then enticed him into the deal over a two month period.
“I was cunningly lured by [police informers] into committing an offence I would otherwise never have considered,” said Zitha.
“On several occasions I thought it prudent to withdraw from the transaction, [but] I was skillfully brought back in line by [undercover] police and given several deceitful and untrue assurances that the transaction was legal.”
Zitha was South Africa’s high commissioner to Mozambique until last year and previously served as chief minister of the KaNgwane homeland. He is still a prominent member of the African National Congress (ANC) in Mpumalanga.
Zitha is, however, no stranger to controversy. He was one of five Mpumalanga politicians who signed a top secret partnership agreement with controversial parks board chief Alan Gray to create a front company to win government contracts.
The main company, Air Excellence, was slated by the Auditor General for providing government with helicopter charter services when cheaper alternatives existed. The partnership agreement stressed that Gray should keep Zitha and his political colleagues’ names secret at all costs.
Judge Willem Heath also investigated Zitha after he allegedly abused his position to ‘buy’ a 5,7ha government farm with two houses for just R5 795 in 1991.
The Auditor General described the deal as a direct violation of Tender Board regulations and stressed that officials failed to verify the property’s market value before selling it to Zitha.
Two other politicians who received similar farms along with Zitha have since mortgaged their land at between R300 000 and R500 000 each. – African Eye News Service
ZA*NOW:
Former SA diplomat nabbed in cop sting July 17, 2001