Mahatma's kin in race to buy Gandhi house in Johannesburg

Nancy Ball, owner of Gandhi house 'The Kraal' in the leafy suburb of Orchards in Johannesburg for the past 28 years, said today that she was involved in negotiations with several interested parties.
"The great-grand-daughter of Gandhi, Kirti Menon; and a Malaysian businessman want to convert the house into a Gandhi Centre and we are currently talking to them about this," she said.
"As followers of Gandhi we want to ensure that the legacy of Gandhi will be retained and promoted. Therefore, whoever we sell it to will have to promote the Gandhi legacy," Ball said.
The selling price of the house, is understood to be more than USD 350,000.
American artist Ball said that there had been enquiries from an Indian businessman but no agreement had been reached.
"Any reports to the contrary are fallacious," she said.
Ball said there had also been inquiries from the Indian Government.
She said that they are selling the house as the family is moving to Cape Town for personal reasons.
The thatched-roof rondavel-style house was designed by Gandhi's confidant and architect Hermann Kallenbach.

Gandhi lived in this house between 1908 and 1909 while practising as an advocate and fighting racial discrimination in South Africa.
The Gandhi house in Orchards, Johannesburg is one of several Gandhi sites in and around the city.
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 in Johannesburg.
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.