Ball in soccer star’s court as R1.5m divorce fight puts his finances under scrutiny

A soccer star embroiled in a bitter divorce battle has been ordered to disclose his financial affairs after his estranged wife turned to the Johannesburg high court in a bid to establish whether his objections to a proposed R1.5m settlement are justified.

The latest development follows an order granted by acting judge Sekgame Tebeile on June 4, directing the soccer star to serve and file his financial disclosure form, together with supporting documents, by August 14.

The order gives the financial dispute between the estranged couple a new twist, with the soccer star now required to place his financial position before the court as the parties work towards resolving the outstanding issues arising from their divorce.

According to the order, both parties must deliver their respective financial disclosure forms, together with all supporting documents, to their opposing attorneys.

They must also provide copies of their financial disclosure documents to the registrar of the judge allocated to hear the main divorce action or any interlocutory proceedings in which reference to their financial positions may be required.

The documents must be delivered to the relevant judge within 24 hours of the parties becoming aware of the allocation of the judge.

The order further states that the documents may not be disclosed to members of the media or third parties who are not related to the divorce action.

The soccer star was also ordered to pay the costs of the application.

The latest order follows an application by his estranged wife, who had previously accused him of failing to make proper financial disclosure despite being given sufficient time to do so.

She argued that the disclosure was necessary to enable her legal team to determine whether his opposition to the proposed settlement was valid.

I have already in the last year, in an effort to try and expedite the divorce matter, requested that he attend to 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.

—  Wife in application

The wife had previously told the court that she had made efforts to expedite the divorce, including trying to get the soccer star to attend mediation.

“I have already in the last year, in an effort to try and expedite the divorce matter, requested that he attend tomediation 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,” she stated in her application.

The financial disclosure dispute stems from disagreements over the proposed settlement between the parties.

The wife has sought a settlement of about R1.5m, while the soccer star has opposed the amount proposed during mediation held in December 2025.

One of the issues in dispute relates to an overdraft facility with a commercial bank. The wife has argued that the soccer star should pay more than the approximately R50,000 she had accrued through the overdraft agreement.

Alternatively, she has sought spousal maintenance of R20,000 a month for five years.

The proposed settlement was aimed at resolving the financial consequences of the breakdown of the marriage, including outstanding debt obligations between the parties.

The soccer star, however, has made it clear that he does not oppose the divorce itself. Instead, he disputes the financial terms proposed by his estranged wife.

In his counterclaim, he admits that the marriage relationship has broken down irretrievably and that there is no reasonable prospect of restoring it, while denying the remaining allegations and proposals contained in the divorce papers.

“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,” his counterclaim states.

The couple have a minor child and were married out of community of property and out of community of profit and loss, with the exclusion of the accrual system.

The estranged wife has also sought the adoption of a parenting plan for their child as part of the divorce proceedings.

According to her court papers, the couple have been living separately for more than a year and their relationship has deteriorated to such an extent that there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation.

She further alleges that they have developed different lifestyles and interests and have lost affection for one another.

The couple had previously fuelled speculation about the state of their marriage after they stopped featuring each other on their social media pages.

The divorce proceedings have now moved beyond the question of whether the marriage should end and into a detailed examination of the financial arrangements that will govern the couple’s separation.

The latest court order means the soccer star must now provide the financial information sought by his estranged wife by August 14.

The information could provide greater clarity on the parties’ respective financial positions and assist in determining the outstanding financial issues between them.

The court’s decision to restrict access to the disclosure documents also means that the financial information contained in the forms will remain protected from public circulation and disclosure to unrelated third parties.

For now, the soccer star’s position remains that he does not oppose the dissolution of the marriage, but disputes the financial demands being made as part of the proposed settlement.

The latest order places the focus firmly on those financial disagreements as the estranged couple move towards finalising their divorce.