South African Travel Tech Platform LekkeSlaap Acquired by Investor Consortium as Founders Exit
Bellair Road Investment Partners, Janic Capital, family offices, and Investec back CEO Frans Joubert and the executive team to drive technology investment and regional expansion across Southern Africa.
CAPE TOWN — South African online accommodation booking platform LekkeSlaap has been acquired by a local investor consortium, marking the complete exit of co-founders Jonathan Womersley and Marcel van de Ghinste along with long-standing shareholders.
Financial terms of the buy-out were not disclosed.
The acquiring consortium is co-led by South African private equity and venture firms Bellair Road Investment Partners and Janic Capital, the family investment vehicle of the Dippenaar family, led by Adriaan Dippenaar. They are joined in the syndicate by the Ferreira Family Office, the Moolman Family Office, and Investec.
LekkeSlaap’s executive leadership team, led by Chief Executive Officer Frans Joubert, invested alongside the consortium and will continue to operate the business.
Local Ownership and Operational Scale
Founded in 2009 as a home-based travel technology startup before launching under the LekkeSlaap brand in 2013, the platform connects travelers with more than 40,000 properties across Southern Africa. Since inception, the business has processed bookings for more than nine million guests.
Transaction advisory on the sell-side was managed by PSG Capital and legal counsel ENS. The buy-side consortium was advised by Werksmans, Deloitte, and Scrums.com.
Operations, host relationships, and guest services will remain unchanged following the transaction. The incoming ownership structure ensures the company remains under South African capital ownership while providing equity to fund technology stack enhancements and regional market penetration across Southern Africa.
Governance and Executive Leadership Restructuring
In conjunction with the ownership change, LekkeSlaap has expanded its board of directors with key industry appointments:
- Herman Bosman joins as Chairman of the Board. Bosman currently serves as Chairman of OUTsurance Group and Fortress Real Estate, following prior roles as Chief Executive Officer of RMB Holdings and RMI Holdings. Bosman also co-invested in the transaction via Atelier Partners.
- Robert Paddock joins the board as a non-executive director. Paddock is an edtech entrepreneur who co-founded GetSmarter and the Valenture Institute.
The updated corporate governance structure is designed to support CEO Frans Joubert in scaling the platform’s regional footprint and deepening localized product engineering.
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