Teko Modise vents after losing his home

Sources close to the sale told City Press this week that Modise’s double-storey Tuscan-style home in Willowbrook Estate in the up-market West Rand suburb of Ruimsig was scheduled to be sold on auction on July 10.

However, Modise’s lawyer called the bank’s lawyers to tell them that his client had a “private buyer” who was interested in buying the three-bedroom house.

The name of the private buyer is known to City Press.

“The private buyer made an offer to purchase of R2 million and the offer was accepted, and the sale in execution was cancelled,” said a source with knowledge of the transaction.

The source said Modise’s buyer had already made hefty payments on the property, including a deposit of R500 000 on the day the auction was supposed to have taken place.

However, City Press has learnt that the mystery buyer has not kicked the soccer star out of his home. Modise was still staying there after coming to an arrangement with the new owner, said two well-placed sources.

Court papers show that Modise has been defaulting on his monthly bond repayment of R11 971 for the past seven months. The last time he paid his bond was in December.

Modise, who is rumoured to earn as much as R400 000 a month from the country’s wealthiest soccer club, was in arrears on his bond to the tune of R130 364.

Modise was unavailable for comment this week because he was in Namibia with his team on a preseason tour to defend the Dr Hage Geingob Trophy.

But he did take to Instagram to vent against his haters.

“We normally don’t celebrate our own, what we do, we bash them till we become proud of our hate,” he wrote.

“Every individual striving for greatness becomes a target. The day you decided to be the best you can be, just know your haters.”

Modise’s manager, Jazzman Mahlakgane, would neither confirm nor deny the sale of the house.

“Sorry! I have no comment,” he said before hanging up the phone.

Modise and his former wife, Felicia, bought the house in 2010. They were married in community of property and have a five-year-old daughter together. Their divorce was finalised in 2013.

When City Press phoned Felicia to ask her if she knew that her former husband had lost his home, she was shocked: “This is news to me. I wasn’t aware that the house was in arrears.”

Johannesburg attorney Hugh Raichlin said the problem was that many soccer players had not been sufficiently taught how to handle the wealth that comes from their talent.

“Most of these soccer players are young and immature, and they don’t have a structured plan to handle their finances. When they see a lot of money in their bank accounts, they become overwhelmed. They spend it on materials things like expensive clothes and luxury cars.”

Raichlin said it was not a problem unique to South Africa, and players in big leagues abroad experienced the same difficulties.

Meanwhile, last month’s Move! magazine reported that Modise and Felicia were back in each other’s arms. At the time, both refused to confirm or deny the claims.

The magazine reported that Modise dumped his fiancée, Lizelle Tabane, for Felicia after realising that the relationship was going nowhere.

However, Felicia told City Press this week that she was unhappy with the “unfounded” rumours that have been doing the rounds for weeks.

“I’m not back with Teko, but I’ll always respect the fact that he’s my baby’s dad. I’m in a relationship, but not with him,” she said.