Soweto woman wins back home after 20-year battle with Standard Bank

FROM 200 TO REDEMPTION

- NICOLA MAWSON

AFTER fighting for 20 years, a woman from Soweto has finally regained ownership of her home, where she had lived for 23 years.

The house was unlawfully auctioned by Standard Bank and bought by the bank itself for just R200. It was then sold to another buyer, who later obtained a court order to evict her.

This happened despite Mogudi Batsile Mosai not having signed anything as was meant to be the case under the law - nor having received eviction papers or being aware of the eviction. In fact, her family was so in the dark as to what was going on, they even improved the property.

The lengthy court matter went on for so many years until landing up in the Johannesburg High Court to finally be settled that Mogudi’s husband died, she managed to get to the point where she went from studying a Masters degree (although not in law) to being accepted for a PhD on a bursary, running out of money because of her husband's medical bills, and the law and other lawyers being of no use.

Mogudi, who was married to the now deceased Meshack Mogudi who died in 2013, likely due to and was a beneficiary and executor of his will, took Standard Bank to court because she wanted to reverse judgements that saw her home, which she had been living in for 23 years, sold out from under her feet and her and her children evicted.

Meshack died in 2013, likely due to kidney failure, and his hospital bills for dialysis ran to some R20 000, even though the couple relied on government treatment.

In July 1991, Meshack acquired a grant of leasehold from the Soweto City Council, which preceded him mortgaging the property to Standard Bank to fund a business venture. However, Mogudi didn’t sign any papers, which the bank not only admits, but is also in contravention of some sections of the Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984.