Zille gives her domestic a house

Zara Nicholson

Premier Helen Zille’s domestic worker, Grace Voyiya, helped raise her sons – and working for the family has earned her a R750 000 Parklands house as the DA leader did not want her living in a shack.

In complying with the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s code of conduct, Zille declared her domestic worker’s property in the latest Register of Member’s Interests. However, Zille told the Cape Times this was the second house she had bought her domestic worker.

Each year, provincial parliament members have to disclose all their financial interests, property and shares they own.

The latest register of members’ interests shows that Western Cape MECs own multiple properties worth millions, including holiday homes, factories and farms.

In Zille’s declaration she states that she owns her Rosebank home worth R2.5 million and is a part owner of a R500 000 cottage in Keurboomsrivier.

Her second property listed is the R750 000 Parklands house which she states was bought for her domestic worker.

Zille said Voyiya had been with her family for about 17 years and helped raise her sons.

Voyiya is her only domestic worker and also works and lives with her at the premier’s Leeuwenhof residence.

“I also bought her a house many years ago in the Milnerton area, but then she wanted the house in Parklands. She means the world to me and I am eternally grateful to her. I certainly did not want her living in a shack,” said Zille.

Before moving to Milnerton, Voyiya lived in Nyanga.

Now she shares the Parklands house with her husband and their son and daughter, but mostly stays over at Leeuwenhof.

Zille said that although the bond was in her name, they had a “very clear agreement” that Voyiya was the owner.

She added that Voyiya and her husband contributed towards the bond repayment.

When they sold Voyiya’s previous house, Zille said there was a substantial profit which all went into “a good foundation” for buying the Parklands property.

Meanwhile, this is what some of Zille’s MECs have declared:

l Education MEC Donald Grant owns two properties in Newlands worth R1.3m and R3m. He also owns a panel- beating and spraypainting shop in Plettenberg Bay worth R3m.

l Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz owns two houses, one in Goodwood worth R900 000 and one in Yzerfontein worth R1.6m.

l MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Alan Winde declared that he owns a R1m house in Knysna and a R2.5m house in Cape Town, and has a 50 percent share in a factory in Knysna worth R800 000.

l Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle has one house in Marina Da Gama valued at R1.6m and owns shares, including Absa shares, worth more than R2m.

l Health MEC Theuns Botha has a long list of shares in family businesses and trusts, all valued between R100 000 and R3m. He also partly owns a Pretoria property worth R500 000 and different sections of a Riversdal farm worth R10m.

He owns four plots in Stilbaai, two worth R1m each and two worth R300 000 each.

He also owns a Stilbaai property worth R900 000.