[imagesource: Insatgram/Lekau Sehoana]

It was once reported that Lekau Sehoana, the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear, transformed his humble beginnings into a South African success story.

But as the Joburg-based entrepreneur’s brand rose as one of the top-selling sneaker brands in the country, reports of his financial troubles started coming to the fore.

Lakau is now being accused of failing to pay rent for months at a time, making headlines after his family was evicted from a posh villa at Waterfall Estate in Johannesburg.

The South African reports that the eviction left his ex-wife and son homeless after failing to settle the arrears on his monthly rental bill. Apparently, the allegations of skipping on rent were contained in a court application filed by the Waterfall Residents Developments at the South Gauteng High Court.

Waterfall Developers asked his family to move out as a lease agreement was signed by Lekau and Waterfall Residents Developers, with Lekau expected to pay R35,000 monthly.

Lekau’s wife, Lebogang, only returned home from the winter holidays to find herself homeless. According to ZiMoja, Lebogang once asked him to sort out the rental drama.

The developers said the payments only came through for several months until he defaulted in November and December 2023. When filing the court papers, the developers said Lekau owed them almost R100,000 in rental payments.

Speaking to the media, his soon to be ex-wife said, “We are tired of the abuse, the lies and tricks of Lekau. As we speak, his very own son is homeless and out of school with no food and no clothes. He even got a court order to pay maintenance and take responsibility, as he has not for years.”

“In March 2024, he boldly lied during the launch of Claws sneakers, saying his kids would remain in school regardless of the liquidation case against him. Knowing very well that his son had been staying at home for years and had a maintenance court order against him,” Lekau’s wife said.

She also insists that he has not paid her fairly for her role in the formation of Drip, saying she funded the business when he was broke.

It appears as though Lekau thinks this is all part of what entrepreneurship means:

 

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A post shared by Lekau Sehoana (@lekausehoana)

The 35-year-old founder and CEO of Drip Footwear has been at the helm of one of South Africa’s most successful and rapidly growing sneaker brands, with an estimated net worth of R280 million.

A huge question mark hangs over that claim when you see the City Press report that Johannesburg-based advertising agency Wideopen Platform claims he owes it more than R20 million, allegedly negating an acknowledgement of a debt agreement between them.

Wideopen Platform has opted for litigation, citing that Sehoana bound himself as surety for the popular sneaker brand liable for the alleged breach.

“Drip breached the acknowledgment of debt in that it failed to make any payment to Wideopen Platform. The total indebtedness then became immediately due and payable by Drip,” read the litigation papers.

The agency said in its papers that it had lost hope of recovering the money and also wanted a court order for the liquidation of the fashion label.

The proof is in the pudding that this man doesn’t pay, even when it comes to his own children.

When all of this was unfolding earlier this year, Lekau seemed to be actively avoiding the issue, even taking to social media to reassure his fans that all was well, writing on X; “A day in the life of an entrepreneur. You can lose it all, but just don’t lose your mind and focus. You’ll need those to rebuild.”

 

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A post shared by Lekau Sehoana (@lekausehoana)

City Press also reported last year that he had been accused of being “inconsiderate” and “ungrateful” by former employees of his other business venture, Kiddies Republic, in Limpopo. Soon after that, he decided to liquidate the store almost a year after it was launched at the Mall of the North. Sehoana subsequently announced that he was shutting the doors of the company permanently, saying it was no longer financially viable.

While this year marks five years of Drip Group being in business, it has been a tumultuous journey for Sehoana, who has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

[sources:southafrican&citypress]