More skeletons in Niehaus closet
2009-02-19 07:56
Pretoria - Carl Niehaus took out a second mortgage on his luxury home after he neglected to pay the mortgage of R2m on the same home.
These and other financial skeletons are now jumping out of the dark closets of the former ANC spokesperson.
According to court papers submitted over a period of two years in the Pretoria and Johannesburg High courts, Niehaus owes millions of rand to Standard Bank, a Johannesburg advertising agency and a businessman from Tzaneen.
In 2007 Standard Bank obtained a default judgment against Niehaus and his former wife, Linda Thango, after they had defaulted on the mortgage on their luxury home in Morningside, Johannesburg.
In a statement Thozama Maneli, legal manager of the bank's home loans division, said by 4 May, 2007, the mortgage had been in arrears by R176 766.
Took out second mortgage
On 17 August, 2007, the court ordered Niehaus and his wife to repay their R2m home loan to the bank at an interest rate of 12.5% per year.
The court also ordered that the house could be sold. Niehaus later took out a second mortgage on the house.
In the same year Niehaus was taken to court by the advertising and promotional agency Mortimer Harvey, because he owed them R1.5m for work they did for the Children United Foundation of South Africa in 2006.
At that time Niehaus was the head of the foundation. The agency say they have still not received their money - despite Niehaus having signed an admission of guilt on 27 July, 2007, and a court order stipulating that he should repay the debt with interest and legal costs.
'Habitual liar'
In 2006 Magula Makaana, a businessman from Tzaneen, also took Niehaus to court after he neglected to repay a microloan of R420 000. According to court papers Makaana had given Niehaus an advance of R350 000 as bridging finance over six weeks.
Niehaus had to repay the money with an additional instalment of
R70 000. But he never did.
"He still owes me a lot of money," Makaana told Beeld. Apparently Niehaus repeatedly sent Makaana SMSes promising him that he would pay.
"Someone described him (Niehaus) as a habitual liar and I think that's a fairly accurate description."
Degrees
Beeld could confirm on Wednesday that Niehaus had indeed obtained degrees in theology at the University of South Africa (Unisa). Doreen Gough, Unisa spokesperson, said on Wednesday Niehaus obtained a B.Theology degree in April 1988.
The next year he obtained his honours degree cum laude and received the Senate medal for top student.
Beeld revealed earlier this week that Niehaus had not obtained a master's or a doctorate in theology at the University of Utrecht, as stated on his CV, and that he had also not obtained a BA degree at Wits.