THE Gonubie murder house where a decomposed body was found on Thursday belongs to property tycoon and shopping mall developer, Sisa Ngebulana.
The CEO of Billion Group has plans, said an associate, to smash down the home and rebuild a townhouse complex on the large plot on the corner of Loerie Crescent and Fish Eagle Close.
Angry residents held a meeting on Thursday night where they called on one of the Eastern Cape’s richest men to shed light on the future of the abandoned property.
Police who were present at the meeting said residents raised safety concerns, stressing the property was being used for illicit activities by strangers. They called for the property to be demolished.
According to a deed search, Ngebulana’s company Phomella Property Investments (Pty) Ltd bought the house in 2004 from the Van Niekerk Family Trust for R2860000. In 2010 the Billion Group – a property company founded and chaired by Ngebulana – purchased the same house from Phomella for R4292072.
However, the property was only registered on July 24 this year, according to the records.
Today the four bedroom house, with an upstairs loft, four external garages, a separate guest house, a trophy house, five horse stables, servants’ quarters, a swimming pool and a storage facility, has been vandalised.
What was once an immaculate home now resembles a ghost house hemmed in by overgrown grass.
The yard is littered with used condoms and empty beer cans.
The 35-year-old man who allegedly confessed to murdering the victim has been arrested and charged with murder.
He is being returned to East London for further questioning, police said.
He is expected to arrive this weekend and to appear in the magistrate’s court on Monday.
At the scene police discovered the murder occurred inside the house in one of the main bedrooms and the victim, who is unknown, was later dragged 15 metres to the garden.
Ngebulana was unavailable for comment. His personal assistant, Hayley Kemp, said he was busy in meetings and referred all media inquiries to a man named Phillimon, described as a property developer in East London, who the Saturday Dispatch could not get hold of.
Later on Phomella Property Investments director Vuyokazi Njongwe contacted the Dispatch.
She said a year ago Phomella had applied for rezoning of the property by the Buffalo City Metro Municipality.
“As soon as our request is granted we are going to demolish the structure because our goal is to build new town houses on the property,” Njongwe said.
Ngebulana is a current independent non-executive director of Truworths International Limited, and built both Hemingway Shopping Centre and Mdantsane City Shopping Centre.
In 2006 he was named entrepreneur of the year. – zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Murder house owned by tycoon
The CEO of Billion Group has plans, said an associate, to smash down the home and rebuild a townhouse complex on the large plot on the corner of Loerie Crescent and Fish Eagle Close.
Angry residents held a meeting on Thursday night where they called on one of the Eastern Cape’s richest men to shed light on the future of the abandoned property.
Police who were present at the meeting said residents raised safety concerns, stressing the property was being used for illicit activities by strangers. They called for the property to be demolished.
According to a deed search, Ngebulana’s company Phomella Property Investments (Pty) Ltd bought the house in 2004 from the Van Niekerk Family Trust for R2860000. In 2010 the Billion Group – a property company founded and chaired by Ngebulana – purchased the same house from Phomella for R4292072.
However, the property was only registered on July 24 this year, according to the records.
Today the four bedroom house, with an upstairs loft, four external garages, a separate guest house, a trophy house, five horse stables, servants’ quarters, a swimming pool and a storage facility, has been vandalised.
What was once an immaculate home now resembles a ghost house hemmed in by overgrown grass.
The yard is littered with used condoms and empty beer cans.
The 35-year-old man who allegedly confessed to murdering the victim has been arrested and charged with murder.
He is being returned to East London for further questioning, police said.
He is expected to arrive this weekend and to appear in the magistrate’s court on Monday.
At the scene police discovered the murder occurred inside the house in one of the main bedrooms and the victim, who is unknown, was later dragged 15 metres to the garden.
Ngebulana was unavailable for comment. His personal assistant, Hayley Kemp, said he was busy in meetings and referred all media inquiries to a man named Phillimon, described as a property developer in East London, who the Saturday Dispatch could not get hold of.
Later on Phomella Property Investments director Vuyokazi Njongwe contacted the Dispatch.
She said a year ago Phomella had applied for rezoning of the property by the Buffalo City Metro Municipality.
“As soon as our request is granted we are going to demolish the structure because our goal is to build new town houses on the property,” Njongwe said.
Ngebulana is a current independent non-executive director of Truworths International Limited, and built both Hemingway Shopping Centre and Mdantsane City Shopping Centre.
In 2006 he was named entrepreneur of the year. – zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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