Edwin Sodis’ ex-wife Nthateng Lerata demands R27 million. Nthateng Lerata, the estranged wife of troubled businessman Edwin Sodi, is attempting to enforce a settlement agreement after the tycoon allegedly neglected to pay her about R30 million for her assistance during the course of building his business empire.

Edwin Sodis’ ex-wife Nthateng Lerata demands R27 million

Lerata, who is alleged to have assisted other questionable businesspeople in starting businesses like G5 Group and Blackhead Consulting, which is known for winning a lucrative government contract worth R44 million, claimed in court documents filed on March 28 that the settlement agreement was the result of several legal actions she had taken against Sodi over the previous six years.

Additionally, his two businesses and a person by the name of Nhlabanele Ramahlaleroa were mentioned in her court plea.

“Pursuant to the settlement agreement, I seek that the respondents make payment to me jointly the sum of R20 million, together with interest at the legal rate from the date when the payment became due, and a sum of R3.6 million, together with interest.

The settlement agreement resolved the various [court] actions and applications which were instituted between me and the respondents.

She stated that Sodi had agreed to pay her monthly instalments of R200 000 until the amount of R20 million had been settled. She alleged that he had also failed to fulfil his obligation to pay R10 000 a month for child maintenance.

“In the circumstances and having regard to the respondents’ conduct in failing to honour their obligations in terms of the settlement agreement, I seek to enforce [that] agreement by way of seeking payment by the respondents to me.

“At the outset, I point out that, when the respondents failed to comply with their obligations in terms of the settlement agreement, I was of the view that such conduct amounted to a repudiation of [that] agreement,” read her court papers

She stated that she and Sodi had been embroiled in a contentious legal struggle ever since she filed her first court case in August 2016; as a result, a court order for him to fulfill his financial commitments toward their settlement was issued in 2021. The court’s injunction, however, had been disregarded.

“On January 14 2022, on my instructions, my attorney of record addressed a letter to the respondents’ attorney, demanding payment of the outstanding payments due in terms of the settlement agreement.

Her papers read:

The letter was successfully transmitted to the respondents’ attorneys of record. The respondents failed to make payment.

Lerata further stated that, in February, she had sought to have Sodi held in contempt of court for his alleged failure to honour the court order.

“In their answering affidavit, the respondents maintained that they were not in contempt of the court order, as the dispute between us had been extinguished by the terms of the settlement agreement.

“They further advanced the argument that, since I had withdrawn the proceedings, pursuant to the entering into of the settlement agreement, no further payments arising out of the court order could be relied upon,” read her court papers.

She also requested that Sodi be ordered to pay the application’s fees.

He turned himself in to the Sandton Police Station in March of last year for allegedly attacking Lerata.

With a firearm, he allegedly entered her home where he discovered his estranged wife talking to one of her male friends. According to reports, he attempted to shoot the friend while pointing the gun at him, but the gun jammed. After that, Sodi had left the home.

He was then charged with attempted murder and showed up in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court. On a bail of R150 000, he was released.

Along with the suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, who is accused of profiting from a multimillion-rand contract in the Free State, he is also accused of corruption.

The contract to remove asbestos roofs across the province was given to his business and Diamond Hill Trading, which was owned by the late entrepreneur Ignatius “Igo” Mpambani.

Neither Sodi nor Lerata has responded to requests for comment as of the time this article was published.