Corks still popping at Lanzerac wine estate
Court order fails to ruffle the calm as guests continue to enjoy its rich delights
The absence of drama was a key feature of the Cape Town high court’s order this week allowing the Reserve Bank to attach assets linked to former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste.
At the Lanzerac wine estate, which was attached in terms of the court order, visitors came and went.
In the deli where Lanzerac’s wines can be tasted, a sommelier was helping a French couple on Friday afternoon.
Two local women who said they were regular visitors to Lanzerac asked their waiter what would happen to Lanzerac after the court order.
“This place is like home for us. What’s going to happen now?” said one of them.
The waiter, repeating what was likely a scripted response, assured them that they had “absolutely nothing to worry about”.
“The media has a tendency to make things sound worse than they are. I assure you everything is going on as normal. Just sit back and enjoy yourselves,” was the reassuring message.
Guests strolled around the hotel gardens and perfect lawns. In the manor house, artworks still hung in place, collections of old books sat neatly on a shelf and Japanese porcelain vases stood among leather furniture.
In the hotel foyer and reception area artworks and furniture were left untouched and friendly staff went about their normal duties. Crates of Lanzerac wines waited at the delivery area for collection.
At Klein Gustrouw, a portion of which was also attached in the court order, a burly man driving a Volkswagen Amarok bakkie told the Sunday Times he could not talk about developments, before taking pictures of one of its reporters, saying he would find out who they were from the vehicle registration plate.
Apart from a frosty reception, the Stellenbosch portion of Jooste’s business empire appeared unshaken by the court order.
About 100km away in Hermanus there was no movement inside Jooste’s large property when the Sunday Times paid a visit on Friday.
It was unclear whether Jooste was inside,
though some locals said he could be seen periodically arriving or leaving.
The door of a sea-facing upstairs bedroom was open. A buzzer at one of the multiple entrances went unanswered and there was no sign of security personnel, though the property is studded with cameras.
It emerged this week that the property, which extends across two plots close to one of Hermanus’s most popular beaches, is bonded to the tune of R75.47m to a trust in the name of Tekkie Town tycoon Braam van Huyssteen, who was one of the most notable victims of the collapse of Steinhoff.
One of Jooste’s neighbours said she had read about the asset swoop but had not noticed any commotion. Another resident said the elusive Jooste kept a low profile in the sleepy coastal town, though luxury cars were seen coming and going — including two dark Lamborghinis and a Land Rover.
Contractors working on various building projects adjoining Jooste’s property said they had not seen any asset seizures or unusual activity.
There was far more activity this week at a second Jooste-linked property closer to the centre of town, at a site known locally as “Jooste se Gat”.
The 7,441m2 property, now being developed, made headlines three years ago when a company called Hermanus Erf 2825, fronted by Jooste’s son-in-law Stefan Potgieter, applied for subdivision and allegedly extended a fence across an informal path used to access the shoreline in front of the property.
The move angered local residents who are fighting to extend a famous clifftop pathway along the Hermanus shoreline.
Jooste himself resigned as a director of Hermanus Erf 2825 in December 2017.
The media has a tendency to make things sound worse than they are. I assure you everything is going on as normal. Just sit back and enjoy yourselves
The waiter at Lanzerac