Cape Town family ordered to leave luxury home after withholding R1.4 million rent over maintenance issues

A family living in a luxury home in Camps Bay has been ordered to vacate the property by the end of November after withholding over R1.4 million in rent due to maintenance disputes. Acting Judge Waheeda Amien ruled that the lease had been validly canceled and the family had no legal right to remain. They are required to leave by November 30, 2026, with eviction authorized if they fail to do so, possibly with police assistance. The owner, Tania dos Santos Sousa Costa, had a lease agreement from July 2020, extended until 2027, but the tenant stopped paying in 2024 over alleged maintenance issues, depositing the rent into her attorneys' trust account.