Durban — A legal battle is brewing between prominent KwaZulu-Natal businessman Dumisani Goba and tenants allegedly refusing to vacate his posh Cape Town property.
The founder of the South African Traditional Music Awards (Satma) had instructed the two tenants (whose names are withheld because they could not be reached for comment) through his property agent to leave his house in the leafy suburb of Jim Fouche in Cape Town on May 31.
In an email sent on February 1, seen by the Daily News, the agent informed the tenants that the lease agreement would not be renewed when it expired on May 31, 2024.
“You are requested to hand over the property by no later than 12 midday on the 31st of May 2024,” read the email.
According to it, the agreement was a 12-month lease from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, at a monthly rent of R50 000.
However, the tenants have allegedly ignored the instructions and continued to live on the property despite repeated instructions to vacate.
An agent from Champion Real Estate confirmed that legal action would be taken against the tenants.
“They’re refusing to vacate the house, so we have no option now but to take legal action against them so that they will leave,” said the agent, who did not want to be named in the article. The agent was coy when asked when the legal proceedings would likely be set in motion.
“I would not like to mention such things until the matter has been heard in court,” said the agent, who would not be drawn into commenting further on the matter.
Goba, originally from Ndwedwe, north of Durban, is a well-known businessman with a string of businesses under his belt.
He is reputed for – among other things – bringing former US President Barack Obama’s paternal grandmother, Mama Sarah Obama, to the Satma Awards in 2015.
Goba stunned many when he converted his rural Ndwedwe home into a hotel boasting 27 rooms, a boardroom, a gym for guests and a swimming pool.
A cellphone number registered in the lease agreement as belonging to one of the tenants repeatedly went to voicemail.
Text and voice messages were left, but no responses were forthcoming until going to print.
Goba confirmed that he had instructed the agent to apply for an eviction order, saying he was extremely concerned that his house had been hijacked.
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Daily News