The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) silently rescued the late singer Zahara’s multi-million rands home from going under the hammer last year.
Sunday World can exclusively reveal that EFF paid R100 000 in the home loan account of Zahara after the Umthwalo hit maker came out in the public and pleaded with good Samaritans to save her only home from being auctioned off to the highest bidder.
This after Nedbank, which gave her a loan to buy the property, obtained a judgment to sell her Roodepoort home.
Zahara’s house was set to be sold by the bank on May 7 last year after she defaulted on her monthly instalments of R17,665.
The award-winning songstress went public and pleaded with kind hearted South Africans to help her save her home, saying at the time that Nedbank had given her only six days to come up with a plan to pay the arrears which were at least R100 000.
“It’s all true. I went to Nedbank and they gave me more days.”
Her heart-rending story set social media ablaze, with many South Africans running a crowd-funding campaign to save her home.
Some of those willing to help asked her to make public her banking details but she refused to do so.
“I was advised not to put my banking details out there. They should call me for my banking details,” Zahara said.
Touched by her calamity, EFF silently paid R100 000 into Nedbank’s account to clear the arrears .
According to bank records, which Sunday World has seen, the EFF transferred the money from their Standard Bank account on February 4 last year.
After the donation, the singer took to social media and thanked the donors for saving her house but did not reveal their identities.
“This tore me apart at first, which is why I spoke about it. I felt like I could have knocked on so many doors but they were closed. But I knew that there would be someone out there who could listen and understand. All the R50 notes, R100, and R1 000 I got helped me.”
She also said that there was a businessman who helped her with the rest as the amount donated wasn’t the exact amount she needed.
The singer also revealed that the donated funds had also helped her take care of her family as things were difficult after her older sister’s death.
Zahara added that her family was sceptical when she went public to ask for donations as they didn’t think anyone would listen or assist.
“My family thought people would not care and thought I would be laughed at. But I told them rather that than to open my legs for money,” she said.
Zahara, who was admitted to a private hospital in Joburg about four weeks ago, died on Monday night in the presence of her fiancé Mpho Xaba. This after she was admitted to hospital after suffering from liver complications and pre-diabetes.
Zahara, real name Bulelwa Mkutukana, will be buried in her hometown of Phumlani in the Eastern Cape on Saturday. EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo confirmed they helped the talented crooner. “We are not in the business of boasting about the assistance we have given to our people but we can confirm that we have helped Zahara because she was very close to our hearts,” he said.
