ANC heavyweight evaded a High Court judgment which compelled him to submit his asset and income register in a divorce case this week. The politician initiated a divorce against his estranged wife in August 2022 after being separated for over ten years. The once-power couple, who are both ANC NEC members were married for over three decades. The husband was accused of cheating at the time and the wife moved out of their Cape Town home while he moved in with his young mistress who has since bore him two children.

IGNORING THE COURT FOR LAVISH WEDDING

The politician was seen at the lavish wedding of Sisa Gebulana and Ayanda Gebulana in Paris, France this week. The week-long ceremony had the bridal party wearing matched outfits with the husband and his mistress looking the part. The whos-who of South Africa's elite were in attendance including many ANC benefactors and beneficiaries - Vivian Reddy and Sorisha, Mzwandile Masina and wife Sinazo. It seems the politician's contemptuous unavailability to court and to file his court papers as the judge ordered became less important to his French jaunt with his lover along the wedding entourage set to cost each attendee an average of R80 000 per day for accommodation, meals and provisions. 

HIDING HIS ASSETS?

According to the court papers seen by ZiMoja, the estranged husband kept postponing the matter while he was allegedly trying to find ways of hiding his cash and assets. A few months ago, ZiMoja reported that the husband did not want to declare his source of income and accounts about their joint estate. The source told ZiMoja at the time that the husband was being pressured to divorce his estranged wife by the mistress because she wanted to get married. "I understand where the mistress is coming from. They also have two minor children and she also wants the last name," the source said at the time. Another source told ZiMoja that the husband made a mistake by making their first-born son a director in one of his companies and now the son is siding with his mother. "The son is obviously going to be on his mother's side, that goes without saying."

MARRIED IN COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY

It is not clear what the court will decide as he alongside his attorneys never showed up in court leading to a default judgment against him. The couple was married in community of property and the court judgment means if the husband still wishes to proceed with his divorce application, all assets that belong to the couple, including liabilities that they accumulated during the course of their marriage, form part of the joint estate, that must be divided upon divorce. When contacted for comment, the politician's phone rang unanswered. The wife who is out of the country, representing South Africa as an ambassador was also unavailable for comment.