Millionaire 'lives in pigsty'

A Cape Town judge has appointed a businessman to take care of a 71-year-old millionaire living in a "pigsty".

Despite being diagnosed with dementia, Elizabeth Ashton was adamant that she could care for herself and attributed her condition to the "normal ageing process".

But businessman Ross Dewar asked the court to declare her incapable of managing her own affairs, including her financial portfolio, which is said to be worth about R30-million.

Dewar, the director of a design company, said his late mother and Ashton had been good friends.

He said that Ashton regarded him as a son and telephoned him up to 10 times a day.

Ashton, a retired chemist and botanist, was an only child and did not have children of her own.

Acting Judge Anton Katz found in February that she could not manage her own affairs or take care of herself. He provided reasons for his decision only this month.

Katz had been given evidence about Ashton's living conditions.

An advocate was appointed by the court to interview Ashton and report on her circumstances.

The advocate reported that Ashton was living in a "pigsty" and there was "nowhere for any person to sit down".

"Mrs Ashton at first refused to allow [the] advocate to have sight of or inspect her accommodation because she claimed that she had recently unpacked lots of papers and that her flat was, as a consequence, unusually untidy. She wanted to clean it up first before she would let anybody see it. After some time, [the advocate] was allowed to inspect her apartment," said the judge.

"The apartment is a complete mess and not fit for human habitation. Heaps of papers are strewn everywhere, including in the bathroom, and it appeared that it had been thus for much longer than the short time claimed by Mrs Ashton."

The report said that there was virtually no food, the fridge was locked and could not be opened. A spare room was full of useless items. Dust lay heavily on all surfaces.

"It was clear that the washing machine was not being used and Mrs Ashton in response claimed that she washed her clothes by hand."

But Ashton was strongly opposed to the court intervention and said she did not "wish her independence to be taken away" or have people interfering in her life.

A University of Cape Town professor, whom she had consulted about her medical condition, especially her memory loss, told the court that he was concerned that her "personal hygiene" seemed to be lacking and that he thought that she was "unkempt".

The judge appointed Dewar to co-manage Ashton's property and to take care of her personal wellbeing.