French company buys Mahatma Gandhi's house in South Africa

Mahatma Gandhi's historic house here that was his home almost a century ago has been snapped up by a French tourism company for what is believed to be almost twice the asking price of $377,029, outbidding other bidders including Indians.

The specialist touring company Voyageurs du Monde, which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, plans to turn the property into a Gandhi museum in line with its philosophy of investing in heritage properties worldwide.

The then young lawyer Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi lived in the house from 1908 to 1910. The thatched-roof rondavel-style house was designed by Gandhi's confidant and architect, Hermann Kallenbach.

The previous owners of the house, Nancy and Jarrod Ball, bought the house for Rand 65,000 in 1981 and have sold it because they are retiring to the coast.

The couple said they were very relieved that the buyer would be respecting the Gandhian heritage that had also led to them retaining the original character of the home.

Informally referred to as 'the Kraal', the house in the leafy suburb of Orchards in Johannesburg is one of several that Gandhi lived in during his stay here as he developed his Satyagraha philosophies and led the local Indian community in their struggle against oppression.

The others are the Gandhi Square in central Johannesburg; the Johannesburg Prison where Gandhi was once detained; the Victory House where Gandhi ran his law practice; the Hindu cemetery in Johannesburg which was started by Gandhi; and Tolstoy Farm at a place called Lenasia here.

In addition, there are several other Gandhi sites in the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg where Gandhi first initiated his Satyagraha or passive resistance philosophy.

The sites include the Mahatma Gandhi settlement in the area called Phoenix; and the Pietermaritzburg railway station where Gandhi was dumped after being thrown off a train for riding in a whites-only coach.

Lew Geffen, chairman of Sotheby's International Realty, which concluded the deal, said it was not unusual for buyers to pay a substantial premium for a house because of historic value.

Geffen cited the example of a house in the nearby suburb of Houghton, where the value of R4 million jumped to R7 million after former President Nelson Mandela moved in across the road.