Chilling At The Polo

While he was in hiding Markus Jooste’s mistress seemed not to have a care in the world at this glitzy society event

- Joanie Bergh

SHE was never the shy, retiring type. On Facebook Berdine Odendaal shared pictures of herself in a bikini and she didn’t think twice about dancing on tables at parties.

But when the big scandal broke and she was outed as the mistress of one of the most talked-about people in South Africa, Markus Jooste, the disgraced former CEO of Steinhoff, she vanished off the radar.

People were desperate for more information about the bubbly blonde who’s more than 20 years Jooste’s junior. How long had she been involved with him? And had she known about the shenanigans going on at the retail giant under his watch as CEO, which ultimately caused the share price to plummet on the stock exchange, costing investors billions in SA’s biggest-ever financial scandal?

But Berdine’s lips were sealed. Keen to spare herself – and presumably her married lover – further embarrassment, she removed her presence from social media and refused all requests for interviews.

Like Jooste (57), who’s spent months holed up in his luxurious homes in Stellenbosch and Hermanus, she clearly decided it was better to keep a low profile.

But it seems there’s still one place where she feels comfortable letting her hair down and being herself. Alongside the manicured fields of Val de Vie Estate near the Boland town of Paarl, Berdine (34) smiles and chats to friends, yells at polo players as they pass by, and sips whisky, slipping a R20 tip to the waiter as she watches the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo event.