Angelo Agrizzi's posh Fourways mansion auctioned for R9m

Controversial former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi's plush Fourways mansion was auctioned for R9m on Thursday.

High Street Auctions auctioned the five-bedroom house, which boasts en-suite bathrooms in every bedroom, via a virtual bidding session.

While the minimum price was set at R5m, the very first bid was for R9m. While it might have been expected to be fought over from there, it wasn't the case — as this was the only and, therefore, winning bid.

The auctioneers told TimesLIVE that the family trust now needed to decide whether they accepted the R9m offer or not.

The 1,220m² home, situated on the prestigious Helderfontein Estate, is an entertainer's dream, with ample space and scenic views. It also has a large gourmet kitchen with quartz-stone finishes. Outside, it has a water feature, a landscaped garden and a saltwater swimming pool.

Pictures High Street Auctions shared showed how Agrizzi had a taste for the finer things in life, with high-end finishes throughout.

Auctioneer Joff van Reenen had earlier told TimesLIVE that he predicted the property would sell for between R8m and R10m.

Though pictures showed the expensive furniture and blurred photos of the Agrizzi family placed around the home — including a caricature drawing of Agrizzi in the study — Van Reenen confirmed that the house was currently empty.

Pam Golding, which last year listed the house on its website, had described it as a “characterful French-themed architectural style, with every modern convenience and environmentally friendly perk”.

The sale for the house was later withdrawn, however — after the Sunday Times started asking questions about Agrizzi selling the posh pad.

At the time, it was said that Agrizzi, who had just given explosive testimony at the commission of inquiry into state capture, was planning on leaving SA for Italy. He quashed those talks as untrue, saying he had just been planning a holiday there.

Around the same time as the house was listed for sale, Agrizzi had reportedly been selling many of his other prized possessions. These included some of his Ferrari memorabilia which was carried on several social media sites. Items such as books, model cars, helmets, children's bicycles, electric-powered chairs, flags, steering wheels and a model Formula One car were among the listed items.

In his testimony before the commission, Agrizzi had alleged that Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson allegedly paid bribes to government officials to secure contracts worth billions.

His testimony also revealed how he had been complicit in the bribes, which ultimately led to criminal charges being brought against him.

TimesLIVE