Now he has been added to the European targeted sanctions list because of his links to Robert Mugabe.
He was added to the United States list last year.
He used to manage his life so that he was never in one country long enough to have to pay certain taxes, but the Netherlands government withdrew his Dutch citizenship in October, although he still has a valid Dutch passport.
He acquired this citizenship when he went to the Netherlands in 1967, sanctions-busting for UK company Gallahers, trading Rhodesian tobacco and acquiring arms for Ian Smith’s Rhodesian government.
Bredenkamp’s Rhodesian beauty queen wife Jenny, from whom he is estranged, and his three children live in luxury homes he bought for them in Britain.
In Zimbabwe he has two prime farms, one of a handful of whites whose land holdings remain intact since Mugabe began seizing white-owned farms in 2000.
His residence, Thetford Estate in Mazowe, about 35km west of Harare, is packed with hi-tech equipment. It exports flowers to Europe.
His second farm, Hilbre, about 45km north of Harare, which he bought for R20-million after the land seizures began, grows vegetables for the UK and South African market.
He has a luxury tourist lodge, Sanyati, at Lake Kariba and a popular motel, Makuti, near the Zambian border.
He owns a fuel company, Petras (Pvt) Ltd, with several outlets in Zimbabwe, managed by his brother Jan, a former Sasol employee, who became a British citizen after living on the Isle of Man.
Bredenkamp, in partnership with former army chief General Solomon Mujuru, also owns a duty-free shop at Harare International Airport.
His cigarette company, Breco International, in Harare, is still operating and producing for Zimbabwe and South Africa, where he is under investigation by the National Prosecuting Authority for allegedly smuggling cigarettes.
He is also under investigation in the controversial South African arms deal of 2000, when he was a sub-agent for BAE, and is accused of being a paymasters of irregular commissions to SA government officials.
He also owns a trout farm and leisure resort at Dullstroom in Mpumalanga.
He is still the representative for Spanish helicopter producers Augusta Bell.
In Mozambique, Bredenkamp owns an island, Margaruque, and has a small shareholding in Rani Resorts, which owns Paradise Island, with major shareholder Oman businessman Aujan Oman.
He owns a mansion in Malaga, Spain, and usually spends most of his time, when in Europe, in his large luxury home in Montpelier Square, London.
He also owns an office block in Windsor, which was raided three years ago by the Special Fraud Office in connection with the SA arms deal.
Bredenkamp is currently in Zimbabwe, where his Zimbabwean passport has been withdrawn after authorities charged him with being a dual citizen for having a Dutch passport.
Bredenkamp’s business affairs and trusts which hold his assets are maintained by London law firm Maitlands. – Independent Foreign Service
This article was originally published on page 6 of The Star on January 28, 2009
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