LekkeSlaap, the South African accommodation booking platform and rival to Airbnb, has been sold to a consortium of local investors that includes the Dippenaar and Ferreira family offices and Investec.
Co-founders Jonathan Womersley and Marcel van de Ghinste have exited the business. The transaction value was not disclosed.
The consortium is co-led by Bellair Road Investment Partners and Janic Capital, the Dippenaar family’s investment vehicle, led by Adriaan Dippenaar. It also includes the Ferreira Family Office – the family office of Rand Merchant Bank and FirstRand co-founder GT Ferreira, LekkeSlaap confirmed to TechCentral – the Moolman Family Office and Investec. LekkeSlaap’s executive management team, led by CEO Frans Joubert, has invested alongside the consortium and will continue to run the business.
The deal marks the exit of Womersley, Van de Ghinste and other longstanding shareholders from a business that began as a garage-based travel tech start-up in 2009. LekkeSlaap itself launched in 2013 and now lists more than 40 000 properties across Southern Africa. It says it has served more than nine million guests since it was founded.
The deal covers all of Tripco, LekkeSlaap’s parent company, of which LekkeSlaap is the main consumer-facing brand, LekkeSlaap told TechCentral.
“To see LekkeSlaap grow from a small start-up into a brand used and loved by millions of South Africans has been incredibly rewarding,” said Womersley in a statement on Thursday. “After so many years, finding new owners who share our culture, values and vision for the business matters enormously to us.”
The new owners have brought in two well-known South African business leaders as directors, both of whom have also invested.
New board members
Herman Bosman, chairman of the Outsurance Group and Fortress Real Estate and a former CEO of RMB Holdings and RMI Holdings, has been appointed chairman of LekkeSlaap. He has invested through Atelier Partners.
He is joined on the board by Rob Paddock, co-founder of online education company GetSmarter, which was sold to US-listed 2U for about R1.4-billion in 2017, and of Valenture Institute.
“LekkeSlaap is a great example of what South African entrepreneurs can build when they combine a strong customer proposition with persistence and ambition,” said Bosman in Thursday’s statement.
Bellair Road Investment Partners focuses on long-term growth investments, and its portfolio includes Montego Pet Nutrition, Econofoods and Freedom of Movement.
LekkeSlaap competes with global platforms including Booking.com and Airbnb for South African travellers. Joubert said the company would use the new backing to expand further across Southern Africa and invest more in technology and localisation.
“LekkeSlaap remains proudly local and independent in spirit, but with the right partners behind us, we can now dream even bigger,” said Joubert. — (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
