Deputy President Paul Mashatile has declared ownership of a palatial R28.9m home in Constantia. The declaration, made to Parliament as part of the annual declaration of interest published on Friday, comes after two years of denials and obfuscations about the use and ownership of the property.

The house, which boasts 7.5 bathrooms, a cottage, a wine cellar, and a cinema, was not declared by Mashatile last year, despite being purchased within the time frame of the previous declaration period.

News24 first reported in January 2024 that a company belonging to Mashatile’s son-in-law, Nceba Nonkwelo, purchased the luxury property in May 2023 and that the house would be available for Mashatile’s use.

At the time, Mashatile’s then-spokesperson, Vukani Mde, said Mashatile used Highstead, the official residence of the Deputy President inside the Groote Schuur Estate in Rondebosch, when he visited the city.

Other than the nearly R70m in properties declared by Mashatile, his declarations reveal a series of gifts, among them a toy Isuzu truck and a bottle of whisky from Japan, gifts from China, including wine, and a set of teacups and daggers from the Russian Prime Minister.

Stuffed animals, 48 bottles of fine wine, a leather hat and shotgun cartridge case, biltong, a fieldbar cooler, four Nguni hides, a windbreaker, a mohair jersey and a beekeeping suit and instruction manual.

The Daily Maverick reports that these are just a few of the gifts Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has secured while serving in the GNU.

With regard to Steenhuisen’s shares and other interests he ticked ‘nothing to declare’, said he did not perform paid work outside Parliament and had no sponsorships.

EFF MP Carl Niehaus, on the other hand, had absolutely ‘nothing to declare’.

He informed Parliament that at this point in time he had no land, property, shares or other financial interests.

EFF leader Julius Malema had nothing to disclose in the category of shares and other interests, but did mention his listing as a director of Mgagao Shamba PTY, ‘which is involved in farming, events, and sales activities’.

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former President Jacob Zuma and now an MP in his family project and the country’s official opposition, the MKP, is as asset-free as her father, it seems.

She had no shares or financial interests to declare and said she received no remuneration for work outside Parliament.

She also has no directorships, partnerships, consultancies or retainerships.

Build One SA (Bosa) party leader Mmusi Maimane declared shares in two companies.

Full Daily Maverick report

Full News24 report