Habana’s dad in brush with law again

Bryan and Bernie Habana

Bryan and Bernie Habana

Published Jul 12, 2015

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Johannesburg - Controversial Bernard James Habana, the father of top South African rugby player Bryan Habana, 31, has had another brush with the law and made a brief appearance in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Habana sr was not asked to plead and his case was postponed for further investigation after he was accused of defrauding a Joburg hotel by failing to pay the bill when it was presented to him.

An official confirmed the accused presented the court with documents that served as proof his girlfriend had allegedly paid the bill through a travel agent. The court gave him the benefit of the doubt and postponed the case for further investigation by the Linden police.

The relationship between Habana sr, popularly known as Bernie, and his famous son soured after Bryan admitted to the media last year the reason he fired his dad from his long-standing role as business manager in 2010 was because he was stealing from him.

Bryan plays for French club Toulonnais and features in the top 10 of the highest-paid rugby players in the world. According to the Daily Telegraph, Bryan reportedly earns £474 000 (R9.16m), putting him sixth on the list.

Bernie most recently told a landlord, to whom he reportedly owes about R50 000 in outstanding rent, that Bryan would settle his debt.

It emerged in an affidavit by Bryan’s mother Faith that in court in 2013 she had to desperately save her Joburg home from a disgruntled Cape Town woman who alleged Bernie had conned her out of R1m.

Nicola Gross previously won a court order against Bernie to have his moveable assets seized – including furniture and electronic goods – but they netted her only R9 673.

The woman then applied for an order to sell the Victory Park house, jointly owned by Bryan’s parents, who were then married in community of property.

Bryan’s mother, a teacher by profession, argued that the High Court in Joburg should not allow her house to be sold but, if it did, she asked she be allowed to sell it herself to secure a much-needed nest egg ahead of her retirement.

No judgment was taken against her.

The Sunday Independent

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