The CEO of a jewellery house made history on Thursday when she bid R90-million at an auction for a dream villa in Clifton. Clare Wiese put in the highest bid ever achieved on a residential property in South Africa.The six-bedroom mansion in Nettleton Road, arguably the most exclusive street in the country, was developed by property mogul Stuart Chait, who co-founded MvelaProp with Tokyo Sexwale.Sasfin Bank had been a partner. But Chait said the bank considered it "too big an exposure on their books" and decided "not to extend the loan".Chait put the house - with eight bathrooms, a sauna, pool and an elevator - on the market months ago for R150-million. But the bank ordered the auction.He believes they could have achieved a higher price this summer when international buyers are set to prowl for luxury.Or, said Chait, the house could be refinanced and "rented out"."We were recently offered a R3.5-million rental for a two-week period over Christmas and New Year by the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and have had several rental offers at R150000 a day," said Chait.Lew Geffen, chairman of Lew Geffen Sotheby's International Realty, which jointly marketed the mansion, was not surprised at the outcome of the auction, which lasted just a few minutes."We've seen this time and time again that when a trophy home comes onto the market as a distressed property, it will always attract the right buyer at the right price," said Geffen.Wiese is the daughter of the richest man in the country - Christo Wiese. However, Clare is an accomplished businesswoman in her own right, and the founder of contemporary fine jewellery brand Paka Paka."We are very excited about the purchase. I have lived in Clifton all my life and consider it home," said Clare.Joff van Reenen, director and lead auctioneer for The High Street Auction Company, said it was the highest-ever bid achieved on a residential property...