Durban - Time might be running out for the former director of Aurora Empowerment Systems, Khulubuse Zuma, who is known for his champagne lifestyle.
This week, Zuma, who is former president Jacob Zuma’s nephew, was provisionally sequestrated in the Durban High Court - after he did not comply with a repayment agreement with liquidators.
In 2009, Zuma and other Aurora directors - Solly and Fazel Bhana, Thulani Ngubane and Zondwa Mandela, the late Nelson Mandela’s grandson - bought two Pamodzi mines, but failed to maintain them. Workers weren’t paid and the operations fell into disrepair. In 2010, the company was put into liquidation and the operations closed.
On Friday, trade union Solidarity welcomed the court’s decision this week.
“Justice will finally prevail for the 5300 Aurora employees who lost their jobs.
While Aurora was liquidated in 2010, the Pretoria High Court found the Aurora directors guilty in their personal capacities in June 2015.
Zuma still owes R13million, which is outstanding from a repayment agreement with the liquidators in 2016.
Du Plessis said Zuma was not likely to come up with that amount by the next court date, March 4. Aside from the agreement, Zuma is liable for R1.4bn. If he doesn’t pay on time, the final sequestration order will be issued.
Du Plessis said Zuma’s business interests from September 2009, when he was appointed a director of Aurora, until the sequestration order may now be investigated.
“Hopefully this investigation will reveal what happened to the R170m that disappeared from the mines and what Zuma’s business interests in Africa were.”
Zuma allegedly has oil interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The sequestration application for Zondwa Mandela will be heard next month. Applications for Fazel and Solly Bhana are being finalised.