Johannesburg- A legal showdown is looming between sultry media personality Lerato Kganyago and well-known businessman Theo Baloyi, the owner of Bathu sneakers, over a business deal gone sour.
Sunday World understands that the Metro FM presenter’s agency, Alchemy Consult, has sent Bathu a letter demanding the outstanding R315 000 of the R600 000 she was promised to be paid after Bathu terminated her contract as brand ambassador.
In a letter leaked to us, LKG, as Kganyago is fondly know n in the showbiz fraternity, Bathu appointed her as brand ambassador for 12 months from March last year. As part of her ambassadorial duties, Kganyago was expected to attend 60% of Bathu stores’ official openings.
“Ms Kganyago will be required to DJ in the store. Bathu Pty Ltd will arrange DJ equipment of her choosing,” reads the agreement.
“All travel arrangements will be scheduled as per her requirement and will be at Bathu Pty Ltd’s expense.” For her role, Bathu agreed to pay Kganyago R600 000. Bathu paid her R 285 000 in R 185 000 a nd R35 000 tranches between March and June last year before tacitly severing the ties.
When she sent an e-mail to enquire about her dosh, she was told, to her shock and chagrin, by the company representative Mashudu Ndophu that it had terminated her contract due to budget constraints.
Ndophu’s letter, which we have seen, reads in part: “As per my communication on the 6th November, please be advised that Bathu Pty Ltd has decided to terminate our contract with Ms Lerato Kganyago. As a business, we have had to cut back on expenses and we have had to terminate numerous contracts with some of our valuable stakeholders such as Ms Lerato Kganyago.
“Please be advised that finance [department]has been instructed to make payment in the outstanding retainer. The POP should be sent by next week,” reads the letter. But despite the promise, Bathu failed to remit payment to Kganyago.
“Client is entitled to receive the balance of the compensation due, as per the agreement in the amount of R315 000.00 from the company,” Alchemy Consult’s letter reads.
“Accordingly, our client has instructed us to demand from you, as we hereby do, that payment in the gross amount of R315 000.00, together with legal costs and interest on the aforementioned amount, at a rate of 7.5% per annum … be made by no later than 11:00 am Wednesday, 19 January 2022,” continues the letter.
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