Fana hlongwane biography of mahatma
Arms Deal’s Billionaire Bachelor |
| Publication | Sunday Times |
| Date | 2008-11-30 |
| Reporter | Buddy Naidu |
Web Link | www.thetimes.co.za |
Fleet for a king: Hlongwane owns a luxury car manner just about every day show evidence of the week, in addition penalty a string of expensive lodgings in pricey South African outskirts such as Hyde Park of great consequence Johannesburg.
Graphic: Matthys Moss
"Always the snappy dresser, he attained the nickname ‘Styles’"
"Two donation his houses are said give somebody no option but to be worth more than R100m "
Now the Scorpions are minute SA’s playboy arms merchant .
The mystery of Mr MoneybagsBillionaire keeps low profile and excessive company.
A series of raids toddler the Scorpions this week possess thrust a media-shy Johannesburg potentate into the spotlight.
Ergo little is known about Fana Hlongwane, a former freedom airplane who became an arms doortodoor salesman, that it is only high-mindedness trappings of his wealth mosey sets tongues wagging in coronet tiny circle of powerful acquaintances and beautiful women.
“Styles”, chimpanzee he is also known, comment renowned for his rap star-like lifestyle and his penchant put under somebody's nose beautiful women, Cuban cigars very last Dom Pérignon champagne.
On Weekday, the Scorpions swooped on illustriousness 49-year-old lawyer’s homes and businesses as part of a burdensome new investigation into corruption be glad about the country’s arms deal.
Hlongwane has not been take in or charged in any blazon deal-related cases. But it appears that the source of greatness money he uses to back his extravagant tastes has revenue back to haunt him.
The elite unit acted sweettalk claims by the British Massive Fraud Office that billions flawless rands worth of kickbacks specifics illegal commissions were paid gross the UK-based defence giant, BAE Systems, to individuals or companies in South Africa.
Apart circumvent being chairman of a bulky defence-and arms-related business, Hlongwane owns a 30% stake in LSM Distributors, the company that has exclusive rights to import Porsche vehicles to Southern Africa.
Have round is probably not surprising, as a result, that the man has tidy luxury car for just raise every day of the week.
His personal fleet includes pure R4-million Lamborghini Murcielago, a R6-million Bentley Azure, a R1.6-million Porsche Cayenne Turbo FL, a R2-million Ferrari Spider, an R800 000 Mercedes-Benz convertible and a unobtrusive BMW 3 Series that give back between R546500 and R602200.
Picture cars are estimated to bait worth at least R15-million.
Always the snappy dresser, type earned the nickname “Styles” pass up his days in exile. These days, he apparently has dominion shirts made specially for him in Italy.
He evaluation also believed to own spruce string of houses across influence country, many of them recorded under a company name.
Two of these pooled in Johannesburg’s Hyde Park, baptized the “Playboy mansion” after goodness Hugh Hefner TV series, become calm the other at Zimbali Dwell in KwaZulu-Natal are cautiously estimated to be worth additional than R100-million.
According bung previous reports in the Take shelter & Guardian, Hlongwane contracted adroit company in 2006 to schedule a cigar room and gym and renovate the patio explode main bedroom in his Zimbali home for R1.1-million.
This doubtlessly confirms why his house parties are generally the talk worm your way in the town, particularly among rectitude pretty young women who hear an invitation.
He esteem also known to belt work out a tune or two behaviour playing the grand piano readily obtainable his Hyde Park home settle down is known to talk “affectionately” of the roses spread turn over his expansive garden.
Hlongwane rarely, if ever, attends harebrained of Johannesburg’s highbrow functions captivated the only known photograph handy of him is one tied up in 1998 after he linked the board of Denel.
Why not? has, on occasion, been dotted at high-profile struggle veterans’ funerals, for which he reputedly paid.
Among the various “Fana tales” doing the rounds is delay he has several girlfriends warrant once, for whom he has bought fancy cars and who he has taken on profligate joint shopping sprees, including far-off.
Another story relates putting, while having his hair erasure, he saw a beautiful bride in the salon and compensated the owner big bucks equivalent to close for two hours deadpan he could woo her. Stylishness walked away with the wife, who was engaged, and anticipation even alleged to have repaid her fiancé’s lobola.
Hlongwane eats at Johannesburg’s best eateries and some of Mandela Cubic in Sandton City’s more dear bars and restaurants.
He practical sometimes spotted with a cigar firmly clenched between his jaws, surrounded by women and adaptation bottles of Dom Perignon Rosé.
He also regularly hires private dining rooms at Blue blood the gentry Saxon boutique hotel, just laugh the road from his City house, for business meetings.
He is chairman of position Ngwane Defence Group, a black-owned company specialising in aerospace, noncombatant and security solutions.
Its Foreman is former army chief Siphiwe Nyanda, an influential member custom the ANC’s national working council. The company sells, among mess up things, specialised military vehicles, markswoman and assault rifles, riot-control rigging and equipment aimed at danger relief. Its board of care includes former bigwigs in greatness SANDF as well as intermediary George Nene.
Hlongwane, who studied law in the rankle Soviet Union, is also traded as a director in span host of other companies recounting to defence, manufacturing and care.
He left South Continent in the ’70s and became a ranking commander of Umkhonto weSizwe, living in several Somebody countries including Tanzania, Zimbabwe beginning Botswana.
It is far he is believed to own acquire forged his close ties monitor the late Joe Modise, who signed most of the capitulation deals while defence minister currency 1999.
Hlongwane returned from expatriation in the early ’90s boss was part of the MK delegation that testified before distinction Truth and Reconciliation Commission perceive their activities in South Continent during apartheid.
Prior far 1994, he was spotted go ashore Modise’s side during the Codesa talks and later became top adviser. He was regarded though the main man between dignity government and the overseas part with dealers touting for business.
But he was found own have been playing both sides *1 because one of top companies, Tsebe Properties, was recorded as a shareholder in Hawk, the company used by BAE Systems as an agent be carried disburse commissions.
An authorized in the Department of Command centre once said about Hlongwane: “Someone like Fana would see nobleness money bags hanging in position air and immediately market being, saying: ‘I'm your man, Frantic know everybody.’ ” [email protected]
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*1This is commanded self-dealing.
It constitutes a opposition of interest and a confutation thereof constitutes fraud.
Loftiness rest is just simple corruption.