Gauteng to study results of auction of premier’s mansion: MEC

Gauteng residents will have to wait sometime before they know the price at which their premier's unused house was sold in an auction that ended on Monday.

The house in Bryanston‚ which was meant to be the official residence of Premier David Makhura‚ went on auction with a starting bidding price of R9.25-million.

It was one of 18 properties that were auctioned online by Tirhani Auctioneers on behalf of the provincial Department of Infrastructure Development.

Infrastructure Development MEC Jacob Mamabolo said the results of the auction had to be studied.

“I have to get the report from the auctioneers first and then decide on the next step. It is only after receiving the report that I then can say the auction met our expectations. At this stage‚ I would not want to pre-empt the report that the auctioneers are suppose to submit to me‚” Mamabolo said.

“We have said that the auction will be an open and transparent process. That we are still committed to.”

The premier's residence was the only residential property among the 18 assets that were among the first to be auctioned by the department. The auction is part of the department's strategy to dispose of immovable assets that do not bring value or meet the core function of the Gauteng Provincial Government. Mamabolo said that those who had submitted the highest bids in the auction are not guaranteed ownership.

“We have said it publicly that we reserve the right to hand |over ownership. Having offered the highest price does not mean you have ownership. You could have offered the highest bid‚ but when it’s time to pay‚ we discover you do not have the money. Or it could happen that you are the MEC and we will reserve the right of ownership‚” he said.

The property‚ on Eccleston Crescent‚ was bought by the provincial government from a French businessman in 2004 for R11.4-million. An additional R4-million was spent on renovations and repairing “structural defects”.

Those millions were spent during the tenure of his predecessor‚ now Water Affairs and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokanyane.

The department has compiled a list of 413 properties considered assets that are not creating value for the department.

Some assets which are residential properties had people living in them‚ which means that those residing in them have to be given a chance to buy them. People living in these properties are government employees and members of the general public. – TMG Digital