By Jeremy Gordin
Nelson Mandela and murdered mining magnate Brett Kebble, were on first name terms - and in 2000 Kebble bought, apparently at Mandela's suggestion, the former president's first home in Houghton.
Kebble then allowed Mandela to continue using the house for the work of the Nelson Mandela Foundation over the next few years.
There has been no suggestion that there was anything untoward in the transaction.
Mandela's first Houghton home in 13th Avenue - not to be confused with his second one close by in 12th Avenue, to which he went to live with his "new" wife Graca Machel in 1998, and where the couple now live - was bought by Kebble for R3 million in 2000.
The house had cost R525 000 in 1992 when it was bought for Mandela by Ismail Ayob, his then attorney.
Johannesburg Consolidated Investments (JCI), which now owns the property (portion 1, erf 1857, Houghton Estate), says it does not have any record showing the purchase of the house by Kebble from Mandela.
Benita Morton, a JCI company attorney, said the only records she had at her disposal showed that the property had been purchased on March 6, 1992 by Catalyst Props, a company of which Kebble later became a director.
Professor Jakes Gerwel, chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said he was not fully aware of the details surrounding the property and suggested Ayob be asked about the matter.
Ayob said that it was he who had originally bought the house for Mandela in 1992 for R525 000 via a "shelf company" named Catalyst Props, which he had set up and of which he was a director.
Ayob said Mandela had lived there throughout his presidential years, 1994-98. But, in about 1998, Mandela decided to move to a new, "grander" home - apparently at the request of Machel.
"I was then subsequently told by Madiba that Kebble had agreed to buy the (old) house and that I must go and collect a cheque from Kebble for R3m," Ayob said.
"I did so myself, went to Kebble's office at JCI, and the cheque was deposited into Madiba's account. I cannot unfortunately recall on whom or which company the cheque was drawn," Ayob added.
Ayob resigned his directorship of Catalyst Props and transferred the shares he had held on behalf of Mandela to Catalyst.