R37m ‘safe house’? Paul Mashatile lives in Waterfall mansion owned by son-in-law

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately: from allegations of tenderpreneur acquaintances assisting him to maintain an opulent lifestyle, including payments to girlfriends and stays in their luxury homes, to his blue light brigade heavies assaulting three military police trainees last week.

It has now come to light that Mashatile is living in a R37-million house in an exclusive Waterfall estate in Midrand, Johannesburg. The mansion is owned by his son-in-law and one of his children. 

Paul Mashatile: CT stays in tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi’s mansion

The first report in News24’s “Mashatile Unmasked” exposé series alleged that the deputy president made frequent use of the multimillion-rand Cape Town mansions of state capture-linked tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi, as well as businessman Ndavhe Mareda who received substantial Eskom coal supply contracts.

During these stays, the deputy minister would reportedly host wild parties during which “expensive alcohol would be consumed, and romantic relationships pursued”.

ALSO READ: Clifton capture? Probe into ‘friends with benefits’ claims against Paul Mashatile

Breakdown of Waterfall estate home funding

The latest disclosure by News24 reports that, according to deeds records, the enormous 1 400-square metre open-plan mansion is registered on a 99-year lease to Legacy Properties.

The directors of the company are none other than the deputy president’s son, Thabiso, and his son-in-law, Nceba Nonkwelo, who is married to his daughter, Palesa. 

However, the plot thickens… and gets complicated.

News24 claims that Legacy Properties reportedly funded the purchase with a loan from one of Nonkwelo’s several other companies (he has nine to be exact), Nonkwelo Investment Holdings (NIH).

The R37-million bond was then registered in NIH’s name, according to deeds office records.

According to publicly available records, another company that Nonkwelo is a director of, Nonkwelo Investments – which is registered at the same address as NIH – has previously received multimillion-rand loans from the Gauteng Partnership Fund, an entity of the Gauteng government.

The loans to Nonkwelo Investments were even increased over the years, despite the company making little to no progress in its development of student accommodation.

ALSO READ: Mashatile bad for Joburg and SA, finish and klaar

Threats by girlfriend Gogo Nkosi prompted move to Waterfall ‘safe house’

Mashatile’s spokesperson and son Thabiso said the deputy president had to move to the house because of threats that he received in March 2023 by one of his former girlfriends, Gugu Nkosi, shortly after he married Hlumile Mjongile. 

This, according the News24, is despite the fact that the purchase of the property was set in motion months before the alleged threats, with Mashatile taking occupation shortly after the registration was finalised at the deeds office, which happened to coincide with the time frame in which the threats were made.  

ALSO READ: Criminal complaint laid against Mashatile’s former lover after she threatened to kill him

Strange that our deputy president, whose heavily armed VIP Protection Unit officials were seen to be capable of also brutally assaulting three victims by kicking and stomping, felt so threatened by Nkosi that he had to relocate to a Waterfall estate.

Well, at least the nation can rest assured that our president-in-waiting has come to no harm, and was not inconvenienced in any way when he had to move to his Waterfall estate “safe house”…