Bougas threatens businessman

A South African businessman who was involved in a purchase transaction with Anthonie Bougas, founder and director of the collapsed KleuterZone, has come forward with allegations of extortion, intimidation, and death threats by Bougas and his brother, John.

The individual, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of further intimidation, reported the matter to private security firm Specialised Security Services.

Anthony Boucher, national head of cybercrime investigation at the firm, told Moneyweb that his client had conducted a business transaction with Bougas earlier this year involving R4 million.

“He became aware of the allegations against Bougas in late February. It was also at that point when Bougas requested to cancel the transaction with my client,” Boucher notes.

Moneyweb’s first article about KleuterZone, a national franchise of nursery schools, was published on 17 February after several investors expressed concern about the sustainability of the group’s advertised high returns of between 38.4% and 62.4%.

On 23 February, Anthonie Bougas fled to Bangkok in Thailand. He has since been provisionally sequestrated, and two of the group’s underlying companies – KleuterZone Operations and KZ Ventures – have been provisionally liquidated.

According to Boucher, the R4 million for the intended transaction was paid into an attorney’s trust account.

“Although our client initially agreed to return the funds in the trust account, the money could not be released, as Bougas was no longer compliant with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica),” according to Boucher.

ALSO READ: KleuterZone share certificates reference companies that do not exist

‘Pay the money before all goes south’

In the meantime, the businessman became aware of the pending liquidation and that Bougas had left South Africa. He instructed the attorneys to keep the money in the trust account and not to release it under any circumstances.

He then started receiving threatening WhatsApp messages from Bougas’s brother John, stating: “There will be issues if you don’t pay the money or answer me before 9am tomorrow.”

(Moneyweb previously reported that John was interdicted from selling his luxury Audi to a dealership in Claremont in Cape Town. Rikus Hartman, the provisional liquidator of KleuterZone, brought the application, arguing that the vehicle should be preserved as part of the insolvent estate’s assets as it had been purchased with investor money.)

The threatening WhatsApp message the businessman received prompted him to reach out to Anthonie Bougas, who responded: “Speak to my brother. He is in South Africa.”

The threats intensified the following day with messages from unknown numbers, such as the following:

• “Please brother pay the money before all this goes south”;
• “Please brother pay the money before this week ends”;
• “We know everything about you and have been following you for a week, grandchildren and family, you have until tomorrow to pay 8bar, you are nothing, don’t mess with a friend of mine, banking details will be sent later”; and
• “We take life for a living”.

When the individual informed Bougas of these messages, he replied that he needed the funds and that they were his own – not those of the business (KleuterZone).

He added that his accounts would most likely be “frozen” and urged the individual to conclude the refund as soon as possible.

The individual then contacted John Bougas to inquire about the people sending the threats, to which John replied: “Enough questions. Anthonie wants his money.”

To buy time, the individual told John that he would prepare the paperwork to transfer the funds, to which John responded: “You are lucky. This could have been far worse if you refused to pay the money. As long as everything is sorted by tomorrow, things will be okay.”

ALSO READ: KleuterZone fails to pay March dividends and rent

Armed men at his residence

The following day, the individual was alerted by the security at his residence that a vehicle with heavily armed men had attempted to gain access to the complex where he lives.

The security team refused entry but felt intimidated by the show of force and automatic weapons.

Shortly after, the individual received a video from an unknown number on WhatsApp where the armed men were clearly visible. One of them can be heard on the phone saying: “John, we’re at the house now. We’re just waiting for him to come.”

The individual suspects that the Bougas brothers instructed the armed men to visit his residence.

Fearing for his safety, the individual contacted Boucher, and has since opened a criminal case with the police.

Boucher says the parties, allegedly instructed by the Bougas brothers to intimidate the individual, were identified as a private security company protecting taxi owners along the coastline from Durban to Cape Town. They travelled to the individual’s residence in a hired vehicle.

The threats have since stopped. Boucher notes that he has reason to believe additional victims may also have received threats or intimidating messages from the Bougas brothers since the group’s collapse.

ALSO READ: Bougas estate provisionally sequestrated

Moneyweb also threatened 

Shortly after Moneyweb’s first article on KleuterZone was published, editor Ryk van Niekerk received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. A woman claimed to have crucial information about KleuterZone and insisted on meeting him in person at the Wimpy on Malibongwe Drive.

Van Niekerk requested a telephonic or virtual meeting, but the sender insisted on a face-to-face meeting. Van Niekerk proposed a meeting at Moneyweb’s offices, to which the sender agreed, stating “they” would come to the Moneyweb office.

The meeting was confirmed for 1pm. However, the sender did not arrive at the scheduled time.

However, earlier, at approximately 11am, four individuals arrived at the gate of the office park where Moneyweb is situated. The security guard refused them access, prompting them to park their car in the street. Two individuals approached the gate, insisting on seeing Van Niekerk personally, to which he did not agree.

It has since been established that the four individuals travelled to Moneyweb’s offices in a vehicle with falsified number plates.

Moneyweb could not reach Anthonie or John Bougas for comment on the allegations. The article will be updated if their responses are received.

This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.