[imagesource: Hardie Property / YouTube]

The Gupta’s Constantia home has been “sinking into dilapidation” for two years already.

Now it is on sale for R20 million in one of Cape Town’s priciest residential areas, complete with its caved-in thatch rooves, rotting balconies, cracked walls, and slimy pool.

Cape Town ETC notes the property listing on Hardie Properties’ website, described as a “Prime Constantia Upper opportunity situated on Dawn Avenue in the Bel Ombre pocket of Constantia”

Despite its state of disrepair, the seven-bedroom, 8105 square metre property is one of the most expensive in the Southern Suburbs.

The property was bought by the Guptas (through their asset company, Islandsite Investments 180) for R17 million in 2005 after Mark Thatcher, the son of the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, called it home.

It looks like this is the place where corruption breeds, as Mark was convicted, given a four-year suspended prison sentence, and fined in South Africa for funding the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d’état attempt.

We all know what kind of heinous crimes the Gupta’s are guilty of.

Besides the unfortunate Gupta/Thatcher association, the prospective buyer will have a lot on their hands bringing this ramshackle home away from being a Constantia aesthetic destroyer:

The listing goes on:

The property sports a seven-bedroom main house and a “generous” one-bedroom cottage on the north eastern boundary.

“The home is in a state of disrepair after many years of neglect and will require stripping down to the walls or demolishing.”

“The property has a guard house, generous domestic quarters, swimming pool and pool room, garaging and a larger than average, separate one bedroom cottage.”

At the moment, the Gupta’s company is subject to a restraint by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

In June 2021, pending the outcome of a criminal case, this property was attached after the Investigating Directorate (ID) of the NPA obtained an interim order to secure assets belonging to members of the Gupta family.

That also included the Gupta’s former associate Iqbal Sharma and his company Nulane Investments 204.

[source:capetownetc]