Steinhoff saga: the mistress of the scandal
We went on the trail of the woman believed to be the mistress of disgraced tycoon Markus Jooste
EVEN by the standards of this exclusive area, the block of f lats is quite something – a haven for the super-wealthy on the Atlantic seafront, offering sweeping views of the ocean and the rocks hugging the famous coastline.
Apartments here go for tens of millions of rands – and one of them is believed to be home to a beautiful young woman who’s become one of the most talked about people in the country. Berdine Odendaal is alleged to be the mistress of Markus Jooste (56), the disgraced ex-CEO of international retail giant Steinhoff, which saw R190 billion of its share value vanish when an accounting irregularities scandal came to light. In the tumultuous days that followed, Markus’ life was picked apart – he was the “boytjie” with the “Colgate smile” who loved racehorses and collected properties around the country. The father and grandfather is married to Ingrid Jooste. He has also, it seems, been Berdine’s lover for years. The 34-year-old is nowhere to be seen when YOU arrives at the apartment building in Bantry Bay.
“She left early this morning with her bodyguard and driver,” a neighbour tells us.
We aren’t allowed access to the well-guarded building but it’s clear the people who live here don’t kid around when it comes to spending their money.
An array of sports cars stand in the rooftop parking and the neighbour says Berdine has “many cars”, all with personalised numberplates.
She apparently counts a silver Bentley and a white Ferrari among her fleet.
The flat she lives in – which has its own swimming pool on a glassfronted balcony – is said to have sold for R21,5 million in 2012, according to Huffington Post SA.
Stefan Potgieter, Markus’ son-in-law who manages his affairs through a company called Mayfair Speculators, told the news site Markus has “an arrangement” with a friend who owns an apart-
ment in Bantry Bay.
Berdine also owns two Argentinian polo ponies and pictures of her show she’s a keen rider. She can often be seen in action at the Val de Vie polo estate near Paarl and is said to own 10 properties in the exclusive development.
On the day news broke of her alleged affair with Markus, she was playing polo at the estate.
Horses are a shared love. Markus owns more than 250 of the animals and has a share in the Klawervlei stud farm near Bonnievale in the Western Cape. His family members are involved with horses too – his son, Michael, manages his equestrian interests and his sophisticated brunette wife designed the colours in which their champion racehorses compete, Markus told the publication Sporting Post a few years ago.
He added that Ingrid hadn’t always been interested in horses “but she goes to see them run”.
The Joostes always seemed to be the “perfect status couple”, a source close to the family says. “I don’t even want to imagine what his wife’s going through. I don’t know how strong their marriage is.
“Money attracts women. There were always girls around him when Ingrid wasn’t around.”
It’s unclear what Berdine does for a living although news reports stated she “didn’t appear to work”.
It was also reported that Drawbox, a Pretoria-based architecture firm, had designed a 600m² home for her. Founder of the company Carlu Swart confirmed to YOU the company would’ve built the home. “But the house will no longer be built. The property has since been sold.”