Sol, you can’t take it with you

Lots of actual facts emerged from the Gupta e-mail leaks, but not much appears to have been done to recover the thefts revealed in those — despite us having the detail for many months.

What a stupid question. He can only be charged once the forensic audit has been completed.

Among Jacob Zuma’s worst appointments are Tom Moyane as commissioner of the SA Revenue Service, Shaun Abrahams as NPA director and Mosebenzi Zwane as mining minister.

Your article “Sol back with a bang” (Features, February 15-21) refers.

Unfortunately, your article reads like a Sol Kerzner infomercial.

There are four estates under development in Hout Bay. What makes this one special?

We needed more research, rather that just the copying of Kerzner’s press release.

Years ago it was rumoured that Kerzner would donate his Leeukoppie land to the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP). Now that would have been a newsworthy swan song, doing something for all the people of SA to enjoy, rather than creating yet another exclusive private estate.

If Kerzner needed the money I could perhaps understand his motives. But he’s 82 with a net worth of R500m, so I don’t.

One of Kerzner’s breakthroughs was the Wild Coast Sun, which was made possible by a payment of R2m (equivalent to R20m today) to Transkei homeland chief George Matanzima. (Kerzner admitted this to the Harms commission.)

Where does that feature in today’s discussions on bribery

Sol Kerzner’s R1bn swansong development in Cape Town will have houses starting at R20.5m.

What about building affordable housing for the poor? Now that would be an accolade. We hardly need another grotesque Sun City abutting our beautiful floral world heritage site. But the combination of big money and a compliant Da-run city seems to make this type of atrocity possible.

Let’s not forget how the same Kerzner paid money to the Matanzimas for that Wild Coast disgrace. He has never been brought to book for that. Ask Bantu and corruption?

Then I see one Stefan Antoni on Kerzner’s list of architects. Antoni was for years “architect non grata” in neighbouring Llandudno after he designed a house for Mel Cunningham of Fidentia fame.

The design allegedly broke every rule in the book. Years of legal action followed, and the neighbours and the residents’ association ran out of money to fight Cunningham and the city. Cunningham disappeared, but Antoni’s monster still stands.

For Kerzner, it’s not too late. You can’t take money to the grave.

Donate half of Leeukoppie, the part overlooking Sandy Bay, to TMNP. Give R100m — a mere 10% of the development proceeds — to Irish philanthropist Niall Mellon to build more housing for the residents of Imizamo Yethu, the township on the other side of the Hout Bay valley that the Kerzner estate overlooks.

Then you can call it an ecoestate. That would also make a newsworthy swan song. Holomisa, who made a submission to the truth & reconciliation commission on this issue. The Financial Mail will give away a bottle of whisky each month for the best letter to the editor. The editor will choose the winner and his decision will be final.