Online Reporter
CAPE TOWN. – The oven gloves are off as two “housewives” head into a legal battle over unpaid loans.
The Real Housewives of Cape Town reality TV star Beverley Steyn has gone to court in a bid to force her former friend, Real Housewives of Durban star Nonku Williams, to pay back R125,000 she lent her.
Williams says she will address the claims in court.
The two also appeared on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa in 2024, where their friendship grew.
According to Steyn’s particulars of claim, the women concluded a written loan agreement in August last year.
The agreement was for a previous R25,000 Steyn had lent to Williams with no interest, as well as a new loan of R100,000, which would be repaid with 50% interest.
Nonku agreed to repay both loans on or before September 12 last year.
According to the agreement, failure to repay the money by that date would result in a late interest charge of 30% on the total outstanding amount for each month until the full amount was repaid.
“There was an e-mail from the school, the bond on her home was in arrears, she was scared she was going to lose her home,” Steyn told the Sunday Times. “That played on my emotions of being a mother.
– Nonku Williams
“I can’t turn a blind eye when kids can’t go back to school. She used her children as emotional manipulation when I kept a roof over her head. She didn’t just borrow money, she lured it out of me by proposing to give me a certain amount of money back because she had money coming in, so she defrauded me.”
She said that nearly eight months since the agreement, Williams had failed to repay either amount.
On February 26, the Pinetown magistrate’s court issued summons instructing Williams to pay R126,710 within 10 days or give notice of her intention to defend the application. The additional amount was R1,710 costs incurred by Steyn as a result of the account being handed over to her attorneys.
But Williams told the Sunday Times this week she had yet to receive the summons.
“If and when I receive the summons, my lawyers will address it in court. Ms Steyn’s past is questionable and it appears she may be projecting aspects of her own history. I’ll focus on responding to the claims in court, where the facts will be examined.”
Steyn told the Sunday Times she was determined to “take this right to the end”.
”I’m not backing down, even if it costs me double what I loaned her. I will take this right to the end. It’s the principle for me. Going the legal route is not cheap. Every time the sheriff can’t find her, I get charged. However, she can run but she can’t hide.
“You can’t take money from people and think you can get away with it.”
Steyn and Williams first bonded when they filmed The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa in Jamaica and continued their friendship off camera before the financial fallout.
Steyn said that about two weeks after the loan agreement, she noticed a change in their friendship. They went from talking three times a day to Williams ignoring her.
“She would contact me less, avoiding me. She said she still had money coming in but she’d tried to stop herself from asking other people. That’s when I realised I was dealing with a problem.”
Steyn believes she is not the only one owed money by Williams.
On the show, there was mention of Williams borrowing money and not paying it back. Reality star Sorisha Naidoo said she too had lent Williams money, but did not say how much.
“This was a major lesson for me. I trusted way too easily and I realised there are many Christians who are dishonest and hide behind the Bible. She speaks so highly about God. Based on those principles, I loaned her the money.”
Williams previously posted a statement on her Instagram page responding to Steyn’s social media exposé about the matter, saying she had a delay in payments. She has since deleted the post. – Sowetan
Bongani Ndlovu