Somizi says Bathu owner offered him 'R1m cash' as a thank you for making his brand 'big'

Somizi Mhlongo revealed that Bathu CEO Theo Baloyi offered to gift him R1m for his contribution to his shoe brand.

In a recent episode of his reality show Living The Dream with Somizi, the media personality talked about the cash he was offered as a thank you by the CEO for his contribution towards making the sneaker brand known in SA and Africa.

“I go to Theo’s office, Theo says, ‘I want to thank you, you’ve made my brand big’ ... Theo gives me R1m cash. I say to Theo, 'No it doesn’t feel right, I reject ... I haven’t worked for this money, it's yours',” he said.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE when launching the shoe, Somizi reflected on the CEO gifting him a pair of shoes when the company was just six years old asking him to advocate for his brand.

“This is a guy I didn't know from a bar of soap and he was confident but nervous I'm sure. Two years ago we thought of collaborating but it did not work because the designs were just not cracking it — and then last year we both had an aha moment, where we were like, 'here's an idea'.” 

Somizi  said after he posted a photo of the shoes on his social platforms, people started calling in asking for “Somizi's shoe”, enquiring about where they can get it.

“Every time I would post the shoes, people would literally call in and ask for Somizi's shoe and for about two or three years people would always refer to the shoes as that.

“And from there our business grew. So, I went back to him and he said, 'Look Somizi, people are already associating the merch with you, how about we come up with a shoe that embodies you.' Like now, you can see the glitter, you can see the gold, you can see the flair, hence we have the Somizi shoe range today.”

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