KleuterZone's collapse: Parents of founder also facing sequestration

The Citizen

07-05-2025

Liquidators say Rensche and Anton Bougas worked 'in concert' with their son Anthonie.
The joint provisional liquidators of KleuterZone Pty Ltd, argue that the parents of Anthonie Bougas 'benefitted substantially and unjustifiably' from the financial resources of KleuterZone to the prejudice of its creditors. Picture: Moneyweb
The parents of the embattled KleuterZone founder, Anthonie Bougas, are now also facing the sequestration of their estate.
Bougas's mother, Rensche, was a senior manager at KleuterZone. In this position, she was responsible for marketing and organising open days and public relations events.
Hannes Muller and Madelein Kuilder, joint provisional liquidators of KleuterZone Pty Ltd, argued in an affidavit to the Western Cape High Court that Rensche Bougas benefited substantially and unjustifiably from Kleuterzone's financial resources, to the prejudice of its creditors.
Rensche and Anton – Anthonie Bougas's father – are married in community of property, and their respective estates are merged into a single, joint estate.
The application will be heard in the Western Cape High Court on 21 May. If granted, they would not be allowed to access their respective or joint South African bank accounts.
The estate of Anthonie Bougas was provisionally sequestrated on 8 April.
Moneyweb initiated an investigation into KleuterZone after receiving alerts from worried investors who had been promised returns as high as 62.4% from what was claimed to be a national nursery school franchise.
The nursery school franchise, founded by Anthonie Bougas, who has since fled to Bangkok, Thailand, operates through a complex network of various trade names and subsidiaries.
ALSO READ: Are KleuterZone's promised returns of up to 62.4% too good to be true?
The financial transactions of these subsidiaries were opaque and challenging to trace.
Within a few weeks of investigation, it became evident that the schools were not generating sufficient income to justify such high returns.
Moneyweb ascertained that share certificates were issued for non-existent companies or those with mismatched registration numbers.
In March, KleuterZone failed to pay dividends to investors who came forward to say they had not received a cent of their promised dividends for March.
The scheme has since collapsed.
ALSO READ: 'Schools were recklessly managed' – former KleuterZone employee
Parents acted 'in concert' with their son
The liquidators argue in the court documents that both parents were instrumental in the dissipation and concealment of funds misappropriated from KleuterZone and that they acted 'in concert' with their son Anthonie, who channelled investor funds through the company under the guise of investment opportunities.
Anthonie Bougas orchestrated a scheme in which payments were dissipated from KleuterZone accounts to those of family members and acquaintances, with the specific instruction that these funds be redirected to him through digital platforms, such as Wise.
Wise is a payment platform that facilitates international money transfers.
ALSO READ: Bougas estate provisionally sequestrated
Absconded to Thailand
Both parents reportedly fled South Africa with Anthonie in late February and relocated to Thailand.
(Rapport newspaper recently reported that the Bougas family was in Indonesia to celebrate Anthonie's birthday.)
'The respondents most likely departed Thailand due to the expiration of their temporary visas, which, according to Thailand's immigration law, only permit a stay of 30 to 60 days unless formally extended,' the liquidators note.
'The respondents are not only evading local jurisdiction, but also continuously repositioning themselves to remain one step ahead of legal proceedings and service.'
The family will most likely return to Thailand within the next month, 'reinforcing their pattern of calculated evasion and transient movement'.
In the affidavit, the liquidators argue that although the parents have 'absconded', their estate is situated within the jurisdiction of the Western Cape High Court and the liquidators are therefore entitled to institute sequestration proceedings against them.
ALSO READ: Bougas threatens businessman
Maintaining the façade of profitability
The liquidators note that from March 2023 to February 2025, Rensche Bougas received amounts totalling over R1.9 million arising from payments made to her as a senior employee.
'These payments were made despite the financial distress the company was in, with no commercial basis to justify it.'
Rensche Bougas, in her role as marketer of the KleuterZone franchise, was 'instrumental' in maintaining the façade of a profitable business.
'The company's downfall was not merely a result of financial mismanagement but was also fuelled by a deliberate effort to deceive investors and creditors about the company's true financial state.'
Since 2023, KleuterZone has engaged in aggressive marketing campaigns, amounting to more than R14 million, featuring paid-for interviews on television and radio stations, social media campaigns, and advertorials on mainstream online media platforms.
The liquidators claim in their affidavit that KleuterZone's aggressive marketing tactics were designed to attract new investors who were 'lured' by the company's apparent success and growth.
'The company was portrayed as a thriving business with an expanding network of educational institutions. This image was, in reality, a smokescreen designed to distract from the company's underlying financial instability.'
ALSO READ: KleuterZone share certificates reference companies that do not exist
More bank accounts?
The liquidators note that they received only a limited number of bank statements from the entities and subdivisions within the KleuterZone franchise.
The full extent of Rensche Bougas's financial dealings is opaque, as they do not know how many bank accounts are held in the names of the Bougas parents – locally or offshore.
In addition, no bank statements belonging to Anton Bougas were made available.
Therefore, the liquidators cannot determine how much was paid into the father's bank account, or whether money was laundered or diverted offshore.
In the affidavit, the liquidators request that the court order Rensche and Anton Bougas to fully disclose all assets, documents, and financial records, including actions that may indicate fraudulent preference or concealment of assets.
Rensche and Anton Bougas must give written notice of their intent to oppose the application by Thursday, 8 May.
Moneyweb could not reach Rensche Bougas for comment on the sequestration application. The article will be updated if her responses are received.
This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.