Cape Mansion Put on Market

December 25 - An international socialite baroness, who moved from the UK to South Africa in the late 1990s with her husband, has fled the country, abandoning her Cape mansion.

It was decided that the 8000m2 property on Rhodes Drive would be put under the hammer next month to settle debts that the couple left behind when they literally abandoned everything, including personal belongings.

The property, bought by Baroness Alexandra von Maltzahn in 2002, is located  between Constantia Nek and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

The mansion will be put on auction incorporating all fixed property and the interior of the home which includes antique furniture, jewellery, expensive book collections, gym equipment and even handbags.

The auctioneers will also be selling an adjacent property that spreads over 9000 m2.

The Baroness and her husband were widely known in Cape Town circles for their generous hospitality and lavish parties.

Prominent neighbours such as Simon Mann and Mark Thatcher would regularly attend events on the property, which also boasts an indoor swimming pool that is reached by lift, a conservatory, gym, sauna, well stocked wine cellar and a cottage.

The property is being sold after Standard Bank demanded that it be auctioned to cover the R45 million debt that the von Maltzhans have not covered.

They left the country literally overnight, abandoning their Range Rover at Cape Town airport, which, incidentally, will also be up for auction.

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12/25/2009 10:59:39 AM