Actress Lerato Mvelase has expressed deep disappointment and anger after a travel agency she trusted collapsed just days before her long-planned family holiday. The actress took to Instagram to share her distressing experience after Blacktrotters announced its liquidation shortly before her scheduled departure.
On 28 December 2025, Mvelase revealed that she had paid a large amount of money for the trip, which was meant to be a special holiday for her children. In an emotional post, she wrote:
“Some of us work so hard to afford holidays for our children and days before our departure, this is the message the CEO of @blacktrotters_ sends me @refiloe_tsakatsa They have since removed their profile. I always support black businesses, for obvious reasons, but what does one do when this is what I get, after paying hundreds of thousands for this trip. I had booked a trip with Refilwe before and trusted her because we established some kind of business relationship. Have you ever experienced anything like this? Please do share and join me tomorrow on @powerfm_987 when we talk about travel agents that do this.”
The actress explained that she trusted the company because of a previous business relationship, making the situation even more painful. Shortly after, she shared another post detailing what she claims happened behind the scenes.
She wrote: “My last payment to this dirty skimming scumbag was on the 17th of December 2025 and she files for voluntary insolvent liquidation on the 24th of December 2025. She insists on this story of liquidation like we are all idiots.”
Mvelase went on to accuse the owners of Black Trotters Africa, Refiloe Tsakatsa and her husband Africa Tsakatsa, of serious wrongdoing. She alleged that clients’ money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle, while employees were not paid and travellers were left stranded overseas with no accommodation or transport. In another strong post, she said: “Their company Black Trotters Africa (all socials deleted) has been scamming South Africans that wanted to support an SME… Unbeknownst to us, we were paying for their lifestyle… Employees worked and were never paid.”
The actress urged other alleged victims to open cases and come forward, calling the situation “evil and criminal.” She also tagged authorities and encouraged accountability, ending her message with a warning: “It stops here! … 2026 is going to be an interesting year.”
