Zille discloses shares, investment portfolio

DEMOCRATIC Alliance leader Helen Zille owns shares worth close to R500 000 in 15 leading companies such as finance services giant FirstRand, mining house Gold Fields, food manufacturer Tiger Brands, Sanlam and Standard Bank.

FirstRand is the owner of one of the big four banks, FNB.

At Sanlam, Investec and Nedbank, her shares carry a nominal value of R200 000, according to the latest available register of members’ interests in the Western Cape provincial legislature.

The Western Cape premier also has shares worth more than R67 000 in Growthpoint, South Africa’s largest property firm on the JSE. It also owns 50% of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

She also owns two houses in Cape Town with a combined value of R3.2-million.

Zille has a R22 000 share in beverages manufacturer SAB Miller, a R38 000 stake in Reinet Investments, which is owned by billionaire Johann Rupert, and another R35 000 share in PikWik, a Pick n Pay investment vehicle.

The issue of politicians and their ownership of company shares has come under the spotlight following Agang leader Mamphela Ramphele’s public declaration of her R55million wealth.

Zille said there was nothing untoward about owning shares in companies, “as long as they are declared and there is no conflict of interests”.

She also has shares in cement producer PPC, insurer Old Mutual and Reunert, an engineering and technology group.

Zille has a house worth R2.5million in the suburb of Rosebank, and another in Parklands near Blouberg beach valued at R750 000, which she says in her declaration that she “bought for [her] domestic helper”.

Zille also has four pension funds in Old Mutual and Fairbairn Capital, but their value has not been supplied.