The estranged wife of a former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates midfielder has claimed that the ex-soccer star failed to disclose his financial position in line with a proposed R1.5m divorce settlement.
Sunday Times has established that the wife filed an application for discovery at the Johannesburg high court on February 9 after the soccer icon opposed the settlement amount during a mediation process that took place in December.
In the disclosure application, the wife argued that the former player had been given reasonable time to provide details of his finances.
She further contends that the disclosure will assist her legal team in determining whether the soccer star’s opposition to the proposed settlement amount is valid.
“I have already, in the last year, in an effort to try to expedite the divorce matter, requested that he attend mediation with me. I even found various mediators to assist and shared the same with him; however, when I requested him to attend he failed and refused to do so,” the discovery application reads.
The document also states that the wife wants the soccer star to pay the legal costs of the current application.
Part of the dispute relates to the settlement terms, with the wife requesting that the former footballer pay more than R50,000 she accrued through an overdraft credit agreement with a commercial bank.
The proposed agreement mainly focuses on the financial aspects of their relationship, particularly resolving all debt-related matters. Alternatively, the wife is seeking spousal maintenance of R20,000 per month for the next five years.
“The parties married each other out of community of property and out of community of profit and loss, with the exclusion of the accrual system,” the application states.
The marriage relationship between the parties has reached such a state of disintegration that there is no reasonable prospect of restoration.
— court application
The couple cannot be named for legal reasons and have a minor child born of the marriage.
“The marriage relationship between the parties has reached such a state of disintegration that there is no reasonable prospect of restoration,” the application reads.
Court papers further reveal that the couple has been living separately for more than a year.
The application also states that the parties have different lifestyles and interests and have lost all affection for one another.
The wife further reveals in the application that she wants the soccer star to agree to a parenting plan for their minor child.
The couple refused to comment on the matter, both citing that the matter is private.
However, Sunday Times understands that the soccer star has served the estranged wife with a counterclaim, stating that he does not oppose the divorce itself but disputes the financial amounts proposed in the settlement.
In the counterclaim, the soccer star does not propose alternative figures but instead denies the amounts contained in the initial settlement proposal.
“Save for admitting that the marriage relationship has broken down irretrievably and that there is no reasonable prospect of restoration of the marriage relationship, the remainder thereof is denied,” the counterclaim reads.
The couple, who fuelled speculation about their separation on social media after they stopped featuring each other on their respective pages, appear set to end their six-year marriage.
Though they had initially drafted a settlement agreement, the pair are understood to be seeking an amicable separation.
After hanging up his boots in 2019, the former soccer star ventured into fashion and has since become a seasoned broadcaster for SuperSport.
He has also worked with brands such as Samsonite South Africa, NJR Jewellers, Hollywoodbets, PUMA, Nedbank and Heineken through social media campaigns and television commercials.
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