Bids amounting to R8m placed in auction of Shawn Mkhize's luxury vehicles to recover unpaid taxes

Bids amounting to just over R8 million were made in the high-profile auction of luxury vehicles and a tour bus seized from businesswoman and Royal AM Football Club owner Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize amid ongoing action by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) against her and associated interests. 

The online auction, which ran from June 27 to July 2 on the Bidders Choice platform, was according to recent reports part of efforts by Sars to recover over R37 million in unpaid business taxes associated with Mkhize, the Shandi Trust, and football club Royal AM.

Held under the instruction of a court-appointed curator, the auction included 14 lots, comprising 13 vehicles and one branded bus. Bidders were required to register with a refundable deposit of R50,000 and were allowed to view the vehicles in Durban and Bapsfontein.

According to the auction site's website, bids were placed but the sales were still pending. Two lots were withdrawn before the close of the auction.

The tops bids were:

• 2020 Bentley Continental GTC (2019 Edition) – R3,280,000
• 2014 Mercedes-Benz Marcopolo G7 tour bus – R2,600,000
• 2018 Mercedes-Benz V-Class Maybach bus conversion – R1,270,000
• 2018 BMW GT 640i – R305,000
• 2016 BMW X1 – R112,500
• 2012 BMW X6 xDrive 40d – R132,500
• 2019 Toyota Hilux 2.7 VVTi Single Cab – R170,000
• 2009 Nissan NP300 Hardbody – R40,000
• 2016 Volkswagen Crafter – R157,500

The auction followed a preservation order granted to Sars by the court earlier this year after Mkhize’s business entities reportedly failed to meet their tax obligations. 

The Royal AM Football Club, owned by MaMkhize, is currently under curatorship, and some of the seized vehicles were previously used by the club and the Shandi Trust. The vehicles included a team tour bus branded with Royal AM’s insignia.

Sars has not yet publicly confirmed the final sale values or the total recovered through the auction. 

THE MERCURY