The head of East London’s River Ministries is embroiled in a dispute over the multimillion-rand estate of a deceased Butterworth businessman.
The late Nash Mayekiso, who died on April 2 last year, appointed Andre Roebert as executor of his estate, based on their close friendship over many years.
Roebert’s position legally obliges him to maintain Mayekiso’s dependants, but the pastor is accused of ignoring a plea for funds by the caregiver of five of Mayekiso’s kids.
Yesterday Roebert said he had called for DNA tests to confirm paternity but “on an interim basis” he had paid all the children’s school and university fees and contributed R5000 a month to the mother for food.
The mother of four of Mayekiso’s children and guardian of a fifth was told by a Butterworth maintenance officer to take her maintenance claim of R250000 a month to Roebert.
The woman, a nurse in the town, subsequently told the Mthatha High Court in an application to review the maintenance officer’s decision that her claim was equal to the amount Mayekiso had contributed to his children’s wellbeing when he was alive.
Her name is being withheld to protect the dignity of the children.
She said “but for his death” he would have continued paying to maintain the same standard of living they had enjoyed.
The Mthatha High Court dismissed that review as it was brought against the Butterworth maintenance officer when it should have been brought against Roebert.
Lawyers for the woman first wrote to Roebert in July last year about the “urgent need for funds”, requesting R120000 a month from the estate.
Roebert eventually responded in an e-mail sent by his assistant Melody Swanepoel on January 14 this year, in which she said Roebert required time to review the claim’s “reasonableness, legality or otherwise”.
The mother said in the court review that “Roebert has not supported the children and has made no contribution towards their maintenance”.
But Roebert said yesterday that “everything’s paid up for the children”. This had come from an advance from the estate. “We are doing everything that we can to make sure those children are looked after with everything they need as far as education goes until we have validated the DNA.”
He said there were many claims against the estate to be investigated but declined to confirm how many children had been identified.
“I’m not going to slander the name of Nash Mayekiso based on the claims we’ve got. That is my responsibility.
“As an executor we first have to establish if all of these are his children. That is done by DNA testing. There are certain children that – it’s been told to us – are not his children.
“There is a process in play at the moment and once the blood tests confirm they are his children, it will move to the next phase. The estate can’t pay out until it has been validated.”
By all accounts, winding up Mayekiso’s estate will be complicated.
An official yesterday described “lots of problems”, including disputes between parties, claims by relatives and the need for paternity tests.
Roebert said it also involved finalising the estates of Mayekiso’s late parents and brother.
He said the R250000 maintenance claim was not a true reflection of the value of Mayekiso’s estate. “ is not in a solvent state and certain assets have to be sold off, with the proceeds filtering into the estate itself. Everything was in trusts and family businesses and there is no liquidity.”
Mayekiso’s business interests included numerous buildings in Butterworth and other parts of the Eastern Cape. It was impossible to ascertain the value of his estate, although one person spoken to indicated that properties worth R100-million had been sold to a Gauteng-based consortium.
East London attorney Mike Francis, a trustee of the trust that holds Mayekiso’s beneficial interest in various businesses, declined to comment.
Officials at the Mthatha Master’s Office confirmed that a draft liquidation and distribution account had been lodged, but without financial reports from the underlying business entities, few assets had been listed.
Roebert denied a claim by a worshipper at River Ministries that he had boasted of receiving a bequest from Mayekiso. But he confirmed that he would receive fees as the executor. — rayh@dispatch.co.za
Top pastor in estate battle
The late Nash Mayekiso, who died on April 2 last year, appointed Andre Roebert as executor of his estate, based on their close friendship over many years.
Roebert’s position legally obliges him to maintain Mayekiso’s dependants, but the pastor is accused of ignoring a plea for funds by the caregiver of five of Mayekiso’s kids.
Yesterday Roebert said he had called for DNA tests to confirm paternity but “on an interim basis” he had paid all the children’s school and university fees and contributed R5000 a month to the mother for food.
The mother of four of Mayekiso’s children and guardian of a fifth was told by a Butterworth maintenance officer to take her maintenance claim of R250000 a month to Roebert.
The woman, a nurse in the town, subsequently told the Mthatha High Court in an application to review the maintenance officer’s decision that her claim was equal to the amount Mayekiso had contributed to his children’s wellbeing when he was alive.
Her name is being withheld to protect the dignity of the children.
She said “but for his death” he would have continued paying to maintain the same standard of living they had enjoyed.
The Mthatha High Court dismissed that review as it was brought against the Butterworth maintenance officer when it should have been brought against Roebert.
Lawyers for the woman first wrote to Roebert in July last year about the “urgent need for funds”, requesting R120000 a month from the estate.
Roebert eventually responded in an e-mail sent by his assistant Melody Swanepoel on January 14 this year, in which she said Roebert required time to review the claim’s “reasonableness, legality or otherwise”.
The mother said in the court review that “Roebert has not supported the children and has made no contribution towards their maintenance”.
But Roebert said yesterday that “everything’s paid up for the children”. This had come from an advance from the estate. “We are doing everything that we can to make sure those children are looked after with everything they need as far as education goes until we have validated the DNA.”
He said there were many claims against the estate to be investigated but declined to confirm how many children had been identified.
“I’m not going to slander the name of Nash Mayekiso based on the claims we’ve got. That is my responsibility.
“As an executor we first have to establish if all of these are his children. That is done by DNA testing. There are certain children that – it’s been told to us – are not his children.
“There is a process in play at the moment and once the blood tests confirm they are his children, it will move to the next phase. The estate can’t pay out until it has been validated.”
By all accounts, winding up Mayekiso’s estate will be complicated.
An official yesterday described “lots of problems”, including disputes between parties, claims by relatives and the need for paternity tests.
Roebert said it also involved finalising the estates of Mayekiso’s late parents and brother.
He said the R250000 maintenance claim was not a true reflection of the value of Mayekiso’s estate. “ is not in a solvent state and certain assets have to be sold off, with the proceeds filtering into the estate itself. Everything was in trusts and family businesses and there is no liquidity.”
Mayekiso’s business interests included numerous buildings in Butterworth and other parts of the Eastern Cape. It was impossible to ascertain the value of his estate, although one person spoken to indicated that properties worth R100-million had been sold to a Gauteng-based consortium.
East London attorney Mike Francis, a trustee of the trust that holds Mayekiso’s beneficial interest in various businesses, declined to comment.
Officials at the Mthatha Master’s Office confirmed that a draft liquidation and distribution account had been lodged, but without financial reports from the underlying business entities, few assets had been listed.
Roebert denied a claim by a worshipper at River Ministries that he had boasted of receiving a bequest from Mayekiso. But he confirmed that he would receive fees as the executor. — rayh@dispatch.co.za
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