Cape Town - Fifty Telkom properties across the country, including six in the Western Cape, are set to go under the hammer at an online auction by property auction house In2Assets on August 22.
The properties, which are part of Telkom’s National Portfolio Disposal, include commercial and industrial buildings, and vacant and agricultural land in various parts of South Africa.
Regarding how much the properties are worth, In2Assets managing director Hein Hattingh said: “The properties are all sold subject to an undisclosed reserve price.”
There are six properties in the Western Cape, 10 in Gauteng, nine in KwaZulu-Natal, six in Mpumalanga, six in the North West, five in the Northern Cape, four in the Eastern Cape, three in the Free State and one in Limpopo.
Hattingh said the six Western Cape properties form part of a portfolio of 50 properties across South Africa that the company has been mandated to sell by Gyro which is a standalone subsidiary of Telkom SA.
The properties in the province include a vacant fenced 829m² property in Stellenbosch advertised as being ideal for a residential or semi-commercial development.
The others include a property in Kraaifontein on the corners of Van Riebeeck Street and 8th Avenue, opposite the Checkers Centre, which the website says “offers a great opportunity for redevelopment”, and a 12330m² piece of industrial land in George’s industrial area.
There is also a historical landmark property of 1 828m² located in Heidelberg’s CBD on Van Riebeeck Street which was previously a Post Office; a 984m² building on the main Road in Merweville, Central Karoo District and a 2 313m² piece of land in Voorste Valley, Piketberg.
The auction follows the success of similar sales in July last year when Telkom auctioned four properties, for which the reserve price was R64.5million
In December 2021, 45 Telkom properties were sold at an online auction that attracted more than 2 000 bids and realised more than R60m with some properties fetching up to three times their reserve price.
Asked about the process to participate in the auction, Hattingh said: “All bidders are vetted via a stringent registration process, with relevant Fica (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) documents and payment of a refundable registration deposit of R50000.”
Viewing the properties would have to be strictly by appointment.
Registration is online: at https://www.in2assets.co.za/register-bid-online
The Cape Argus contacted Telkom for comment, but the company did not respond by the time of writing.
Telkom has previously said the disposal of its surplus property is in line with changes in the company’s need for large office space and storage, following the progressive digitisation of its service.
Telkom, which operates in more than 38 countries across Africa, is a 39% state-owned enterprise with large real estate holdings.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za