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May 27 2012 11:21
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May 27 2012 13:09
The oversupply of golf estates has claimed another victim.
Johannesburg -
Some of South Africa's richest citizens will be looking to add
further to their wealth at next summer's World Cup by renting out
their trophy homes and yachting berths to billionaires travelling
to the country for the tournament.
Estate agents told South Africa's Sunday Times that money is "no
object" with people able to charge exorbitant rates, starting from
R50 000 a day to R4.2m a month for
top-of-the-range accommodation.
The World Cup, which runs June 11 to July 11, is expected to
attract some of the world's richest people, including Russian Roman
Abramovich, Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, Manchester City
owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi
ruling family, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Although Russia failed to make it to the finals after
surprisingly losing to Slovenia in the play-offs, Chelsea owner
Abramovich will still dock his 170-metre long luxury yacht Eclipse,
which has two swimming pools and 24 luxury guest cabins, in Cape
Town.
According to the Sunday Times, the oil magnate has also leased a
high-security house in Johannesburg where the final takes place in
Soccer City on July 11, as well as an apartment on the Atlantic
Seaboard.
Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross and Australian retail
billionaire and Football Federation Australia chief executive Frank
Lowy are also believed to be on the lookout for luxury
accommodation in South Africa for the finals next year.
Ian Slot, director of Seeff Properties, said he had been
instructed by an unnamed client to secure the best home in the
province of Gauteng, where the host cities of Johannesburg,
Pretoria and Rustenburg are located.
"Our brief is simple," he told the paper. "Our client requires a
minimum of six bedrooms, ultimate luxury, and a helipad either on
the property or not more than 15 minutes away ... and price is no
object."
Slot estimated the daily rent for such a house at approximately
R100 000 a day with a luxury five-bedroom home in Cape Town
expected to a daily rate in the region of R80 000.
One of world's super-rich who obviously won't be facing any
accommodation problems is South Africa's own Patrice Motsepe, the
continent's only black billionaire.
The mining magnate and owner of South African Premier Soccer
League club Mamelodi Sundowns, owns properties throughout the
country.
- Sapa