KARIEGA – “Dankie Jesus” could be heard from the court benches on Monday as a family friend expressed relief after Yvette Georgiou, 52, and her son, George, 27, were granted bail in the Kariega Magistrates Court.

The pair remained composed throughout the proceedings and were each granted R500 bail.

They face charges of malicious damage to property and trespassing following an alleged incident at a property in Langenhoven Street, Kariega, on 26 August.

Yvette is the widow of the late Gqeberha businessman and second-hand car dealer Philip Georgiou.

According to the charge sheet, Yvette and George are accused of unlawfully and intentionally damaging a motor gate valued at R5,000. The State alleges that they acted with common purpose to commit the offence.

They are also accused of trespassing at the same property.

Court documents state that neither accused has previous convictions.

The pair first appeared in court on Thursday, August 27, and were remanded in custody pending verification of their residential address.

The court heard on Monday that they were renting a guest house in Summerstrand. The owner confirmed in an affidavit that they were staying at the property.

Satisfied that the pair had a fixed residential address, the court granted bail.

Their bail conditions include remaining at the Summerstrand property and not leaving Nelson Mandela Bay or Kariega for the duration of the court proceedings.

They were also ordered not to make contact with the complainant.

The matter was postponed to 2 October for further investigation.

Who is the Georgiou family?

The Georgiou name was once synonymous with luxury and ambition in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The late Philip and his wife, Yvette, built a sprawling business portfolio that spanned a second-hand car dealership in Fernglen, a boutique hotel and spa, and a limousine service operated under the banner of Georgiou International on Kragga Kamma Road.

Their Kragga Kamma Road property was developed into a hotel and wedding venue complex, which later became the centre of a legal battle with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality over structures built without approved building plans.

In July 2015, the Port Elizabeth High Court ordered the Georgious to demolish structures deemed unlawful. The family’s subsequent legal challenges, including an appeal to the Constitutional Court, were unsuccessful.

In 2021, Yvette Georgiou was sequestrated after a High Court application relating to debts of more than R35.4 million, according to The Herald. Three properties on Kragga Kamma Road were subsequently sold at public auction in 2022 for R6.37 million.

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