Pretoria mother declares war on 'blesser', says he is a curse for her daughter

26 April 2016 - 19:18 By AUBREY MOTHOMBENI
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Barileng Ratsela. File photo.
Barileng Ratsela. File photo.
Image: barileng_exhale via Instagram

A Pretoria businesswoman has declared war on an infamous blesser, challenging him to leave her young daughter alone or face her wrath.

Naledi Ratsela is accusing 54-year-old businessman (known to Sunday World) of preying on her 22-year-old daughter, Barileng.

As a result of the relationship, Ratsela (42) has had to strip her daughter of all her privileges, including a Jeep Sahara she had bought for her.

The desperate mother said she had also kicked her daughter out of her house in Wonderpark, Pretoria North, to pressure her into dumping her sugar daddy.

But all her actions have reaped no reward.

Ratsela said she had pleaded with the businessman to leave her daughter alone.

"I asked one of his friends to tell him to leave my daughter alone, but he said, 'I will release her', as if he owns her," fumed Ratsela.

"What George is doing to my daughter is an abomination. The man is old enough to be her grandfather."

She said her daughter had started bunking classes at Milpark Business School - where she was studying towards a bachelor's degree in business administration - since the old man had "manipulated" her into dating him.

"She spends her time with him at his Pretoria North house, sometimes in Ballito [KwaZulu-Natal], and many other places, while neglecting her studies," said the divorced mother.

But Barileng told Sunday World during an interview at the Wonderpark Shopping Centre that she "hangs out" with the businessman and that "nobody can do anything about it".

"I know George and I hang with him," she said.

"That does not mean I'm dating him, and has nothing to do with anyone."

When asked - in the presence of her mother - if she knew the man was married, she said: "I don't go around asking people about their marital status. It has nothing to do with me."

The young woman confirmed her mother's claims.

"The people who love me will be in my life, and I won't force anyone to be in my life," said Barileng.

"Whoever wants to be in my life will be in my life and nobody is going to tell me who I should hang around with, including my mother."

The businessman who has interests in medical equipment supply and insurance, could not be reached for comment.

He neither returned our calls nor responded to our SMS messages.

Ratsela said she started suspecting something was wrong when her daughter invested in expensive lingerie and suddenly had a bad attitude.

"There's nothing I didn't do for my daughter. At 16, she was buying expensive perfumes in Dubai and had registered a company in her name so she could learn to run a business and be self-sufficient," said Ratsela.

"But the business account started receiving money I knew nothing about, so I removed her as a director. I was worried we would wind up in trouble with SARS.

"Then her personal account started receiving money in tranches of R10,000 and R20,000. When I asked her about the money, she would just ignore me. But I was giving her money every month while also spending R13,000 on her per month."

Ratsela said she did her own investigation and discovered her daughter was dating an older man.

She said what pained her most was that she had met the man before because he had allegedly previously impregnated one of her friends.

"This man is 32 years older than my daughter and, worse, is married. I wonder what kind of a father he is," said Ratsela.

"Barileng has been to all continents on vacation and had everything she ever wanted, including what other parents consider impossible.

"I bought her a small car at the age of 18 and upgraded that to a Jeep on her 21st birthday.

"I really don't know why she's after this man."

Ratsela said as part of her 21st birthday wish, Barileng asked to be taken to the US to watch a basketball game. She said she bought her a ticket to sit opposite US rapper and business mogul Jay Z at a game between the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.

The distraught mother said her daughter's wardrobe included more than 300 pairs of shoes before dating the man.

She said he had now promised her daughter a tender at the North West department of health.

"She even came to me and asked that I must trade in the Jeep because he wants to buy her a Range Rover Evoque," she said.

"I told her that would happen over my dead body."

The businessman is not new to controversy. He was in the news in 2012 after repossessing a car and house he had allegedly bought for his ex-girlfriend, model Lizelle Tabane.

This was after learning she had accompanied then ANC Youth League president Julius Malema to Mauritius for the wedding of another businessman.

-This article was first published by the Sunday World

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now