.
Edward Zuma, President Jacob Zumas son, with his father and his bride, Phumelele Shange, on the day of his wedding.
Tania Broughton
tania .broughton@inl.co.za
This time next week Edward Zuma, the son of President Jacob Zuma, will lose his BMW X5 and household goods of any value when they are put on auction and sold off to pay off a debt of more than R1 million he incurred for his flash wedding more than a year ago.
And his financial woes will not end there.
Lawyer David Vlcek confirmed yesterday that his client, Functions for Africa, had instructed him to prepare a high court application for Zuma’s sequestration as it was unlikely that the proceeds of the auction would be enough to settle the debt.
“We are in the information-gathering stage,” he said.
“Once we have everything in place we will be lodging our application with the court.”
The Mercury first reported on the issue in May when Functions for Africa sought and obtained judgment against Zuma for R1.5 million, plus interest, it was owed for the wedding reception for 500 guests at Tala Game Reserve.
Zuma did not oppose the application.
Paul Mann, owner of Functions for Africa, said Zuma had paid only R1m in a deposit for the R2.5m wedding and he had gone ahead with it because of his and his bride Phumelele Shange’s “incessant pleading” not to cancel it, as it would embarrass them.
He said Zuma had promised he was getting foreign funding – and put up a letter from a company Deebo Holdings in which it said R28.8m was owed to him – but after the wedding Zuma stopped taking his calls.
He also reneged on a promise to pay up by January.
After obtaining judgement and attaching his goods, Zuma had paid R400 000 but reneged again on another promise to pay off the balance in instalments of R80 000 a month and his assets were attached again.
The auction, set for next Wednesday, November 7, was advertised last week.
It lists the items to be sold as including a 2007 black BMW X5, and household goods, including a fridge freezer, leather lounge suite, LCD television and even some camping chairs.
The auctioneer, Sheriff Alan Murugan, said the goods had not yet been taken away. “Our process has not started. We do not remove immediately – only two or three days before the sale.”
Zuma’s attorney, Siphiwe Mncwango, said he had not been authorised by his client to speak to the press.
