Casambo Lodge in Mbombela sold on auction
This once exclusive five-star lodge was recently sold on auction to a local businessman for R900 000.
Casambo Exclusive Guest Lodge, once a place for socialites to be seen, is now a shadow of its former self.
The once exclusive five-star lodge was built and developed by Carol Sanderson, a former SABC radio presenter, and her husband, Lloyd Sambo.
However, in February 2023, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) came knocking with a preservation order in hand, as a result of its investigation into a multimillion rand fraud matter at Eskom’s Kusile plant.
The investigations revealed that Eskom had lost almost R400m from an alleged unlawful tender granted to a vendor, Tamukelo Business Enterprises.
The assets confiscated were Casambo Lodge in Mbombela, a house in Stonehenge, a house in White River, a Lotus Europa vehicle, a Subaru Impreza, a VW Polo Vivo Blueline, a VW Polo Vivo, a Hilux 2.5D-4D 4×4, a Yamaha golf cart and Yamaha Raptor 90 quad bike.
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On March 28, Casambo Lodge came under the hammer under instructions of the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU).
The auctioneer, Graham Renfrew, warned beforehand that the lodge had been vandalised and would require a complete refit. Shortly after the lodge was abandoned by Sanderson and Sambo last year, looters from the surrounding areas had stripped the building.
“When I got to the site to prepare for the auction, I had to chase away looters who were still busy with looting,” said Renfrew.
He said they were hoping to get between R2m and R3m for the property.
The hammer, however, came down on an offer of R900 000 from a local businessman. Renfrew could not reveal his name, as it is confidential until the AFU approves the offer.
