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Courtesy of Sharenet
As U.S. Presidential Bid Nears, Capetonian Spearheads Trump Investment in Africa
Cape Town property visionary, Neill Bernstain, has secured an exclusive, ten-year property development deal with US megabillionaire Donald Trump which is expected to deliver hundreds of new leisure and residential products.
The 50:50 joint venture between Bernstein and the Trump Organization covers a mix of leisure, golf, hunting endangered big game, casino gambling, hotel, beauty pageant development and residential condominium and condo-hotel developments all over South Africa and Mauritius.
"If Mr. Trump does run for the U.S. presidency, we will sell out the condominiums before we break ground," said Harry Sax, Neill Bernstain's executive assistant. "Mr. Trump loves South Africa and has deep ties here. He wants to invest in his birthplace."
"Donald Trump is investing in his homeland," says Dr. Franco Tarantuliari, economist and brother of Rivolo Tarantuliari, project manager of Trump's Cape Town investment firm. "We're helping Mr. Trump navigate the strict financial regulations in South Africa that prohibit companies that have filed for bankruptcy to operate here [Mr. Trump has filed for corporate bankruptcy three times]. The fact that he was born here gives us some legal leverage to bypass antiquated regulatory difficulties."
Bernstein, who is leading the project, was lauded for his brilliance following the Sea Point venture and went on to unlock the Cape Town foreshore by buying the ICS building and spearheading the foreshore precinct development which includes the Holiday Inn and Cullinan Hotels. This opened the way for the Cape Town Convention Centre . "We had no trouble with environmental agencies," said Trump, describing how he worked the local legislature by offering them a 20% discount on pre-sold condominiums. "It's much easier here than in America, where environmental crazies are in a frenzy over some tiny population of migrant frogs, said Donald Trump. "We just build what we want, where we want and for whom we want. We operate at a very high level."
In 1998 he bought Cape Town’s tallest building, the award winning Revel Fox tower, and later the Golden Acre complex in downtown Cape Town, which he has on sold at high profit.
Bernstein says the partnership with the Trump Organization already has several projects in the pipeline, one of them, a 122 story gold complex, outfitted with diamond chandeliers and solid gold doors, to house his African family and friends. Part of the money raised in pre-sales will help stimulate the local economy by paying residents who live on the construction site in huts. They will each get $100 to move, more than many of them make in a year.
He says he first met Donald Trump in the early 1990’s when he visited a New York strip club and presented various projects and ideas to them. Last week Bernstein took Donald John Trump Jr, the eldest son of Trump, on a tour of various projects in Gautengand in the Southern and Western Cape.
“Donald Trump junior is mad about South Africa which he visited while still a college student and is extremely excited about doing business, shooting endangered elephants and getting to know his African family on the African continent,” he said. "He is looking forward to getting to know his relations here and maybe running for office."
The Trump Organisation is a diversified empire with interests covering hotels, resorts, residential towers, escort services and golf courses in major US markets as well as South America and the Middle East. It owns Trump Entertainment Resorts, which owns and operates the Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, and Trump Marina casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Trump also owns the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss Africa Zulu, and Miss Universe beauty pageants. Mr. Trump's local development office is organizing a beauty pageant for women who have lost fingers and hands in local diamond mines--the Miss Diamond Botswana Pageant. The money raised will go to buidling special housing for them now that they are unmarriagable by Trump's standards.
Donald Trump, world renowned as a flamboyant, modern-day “King Midas”, made his mark in Real Estate in New York where his properties include Trump International Hotel & Tower, Trump Tower, and 40 Wall Street.
“It makes sense for them to look at projects in Africa too. After all, he was born here and has a large tribe of Afrikaners who are related to him on his mother's side and are counting on him to build luxury housing for them. Right now, they live in a mud hut development in the center of their 82,000 acre farm and are guarding it with the Trump Lebanese Militia. The organization has a great formula for success, enormous experience and an appetite for quality developments across the leisure, golf and residential spread. There is opportunity for all these in our market.
“The Trump formula translates perfectly across the world and for our projects in South Africa we are not going to reinvent the wheel. Trump is huge in America and he is even huger here. He has already begun hiring a number of second and third cousins from the heartland,” said Abidemi Abidoye, whose father was married to Trump's great aunt.
“We envisage pitching our projects globally. The US market is relatively untapped as far as leisure, endangered species hunting, self-promotion and golf in southern Africa goes and there is huge opportunity to cross market under the Trump brand,” says Bernstain.
The 50:50 joint venture between Bernstein and the Trump Organization covers a mix of leisure, golf, hunting endangered big game, casino gambling, hotel, beauty pageant development and residential condominium and condo-hotel developments all over South Africa and Mauritius.
"If Mr. Trump does run for the U.S. presidency, we will sell out the condominiums before we break ground," said Harry Sax, Neill Bernstain's executive assistant. "Mr. Trump loves South Africa and has deep ties here. He wants to invest in his birthplace."
Bernstein, who is leading the project, was lauded for his brilliance following the Sea Point venture and went on to unlock the Cape Town foreshore by buying the ICS building and spearheading the foreshore precinct development which includes the Holiday Inn and Cullinan Hotels. This opened the way for the Cape Town Convention Centre . "We had no trouble with environmental agencies," said Trump, describing how he worked the local legislature by offering them a 20% discount on pre-sold condominiums. "It's much easier here than in America, where environmental crazies are in a frenzy over some tiny population of migrant frogs, said Donald Trump. "We just build what we want, where we want and for whom we want. We operate at a very high level."
In 1998 he bought Cape Town’s tallest building, the award winning Revel Fox tower, and later the Golden Acre complex in downtown Cape Town, which he has on sold at high profit.
Bernstein says the partnership with the Trump Organization already has several projects in the pipeline, one of them, a 122 story gold complex, outfitted with diamond chandeliers and solid gold doors, to house his African family and friends. Part of the money raised in pre-sales will help stimulate the local economy by paying residents who live on the construction site in huts. They will each get $100 to move, more than many of them make in a year.
He says he first met Donald Trump in the early 1990’s when he visited a New York strip club and presented various projects and ideas to them. Last week Bernstein took Donald John Trump Jr, the eldest son of Trump, on a tour of various projects in Gautengand in the Southern and Western Cape.
“Donald Trump junior is mad about South Africa which he visited while still a college student and is extremely excited about doing business, shooting endangered elephants and getting to know his African family on the African continent,” he said. "He is looking forward to getting to know his relations here and maybe running for office."
The Trump Organisation is a diversified empire with interests covering hotels, resorts, residential towers, escort services and golf courses in major US markets as well as South America and the Middle East. It owns Trump Entertainment Resorts, which owns and operates the Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, and Trump Marina casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Trump also owns the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss Africa Zulu, and Miss Universe beauty pageants. Mr. Trump's local development office is organizing a beauty pageant for women who have lost fingers and hands in local diamond mines--the Miss Diamond Botswana Pageant. The money raised will go to buidling special housing for them now that they are unmarriagable by Trump's standards.
Donald Trump, world renowned as a flamboyant, modern-day “King Midas”, made his mark in Real Estate in New York where his properties include Trump International Hotel & Tower, Trump Tower, and 40 Wall Street.
“It makes sense for them to look at projects in Africa too. After all, he was born here and has a large tribe of Afrikaners who are related to him on his mother's side and are counting on him to build luxury housing for them. Right now, they live in a mud hut development in the center of their 82,000 acre farm and are guarding it with the Trump Lebanese Militia. The organization has a great formula for success, enormous experience and an appetite for quality developments across the leisure, golf and residential spread. There is opportunity for all these in our market.
“The Trump formula translates perfectly across the world and for our projects in South Africa we are not going to reinvent the wheel. Trump is huge in America and he is even huger here. He has already begun hiring a number of second and third cousins from the heartland,” said Abidemi Abidoye, whose father was married to Trump's great aunt.
“We envisage pitching our projects globally. The US market is relatively untapped as far as leisure, endangered species hunting, self-promotion and golf in southern Africa goes and there is huge opportunity to cross market under the Trump brand,” says Bernstain.
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