Lebo Grass: breaking curses, building wealth and becoming a new version of herself
- Refilwe
- Aug 15
- 5 min read
From homeless to multi-lets, a woman’s journey to redefining her bloodline
There are many things we come across daily on social media but one encounter with a post never really prepared me for the journey I’d be on. In this digital age, there are many people who show up online for a show whilst others are intentionally curating how they want to be perceived. Others, who I am always drawn to are the ones that show up authentically. It’s the ones who do not pretend to be something they aren’t. One such individual is Lebogang Ratlaga, fondly known to her online community as Lebo Grass.
Born and bred from Meadowlands, Soweto, Lebo is a seasoned property investor, financial literacy activist, professional life coach, international public speaker, author of Marble born in May and Bricks to Riches, founder of Lebograss Academy and Lebograss Cribs, co-founder of Be Wise Financial Seminar and the founder of Klipa Property Masterclass Community.
What’s particularly striking about Lebo’s story is that before she wore so many hats, her upbringing and background spelt doom and gloom. She likens her early life to that of marble - hard, cold and formed under extreme pressure. Her recently published memoire is a retelling of her journey. “Marble Born in May is my memoir, a book about my life story. The title was adopted from my name being Mable and I was born on May, Africa Day. My life resembles that of Africa, how it fought for its liberation from oppression. I am a child who was born into chaos and instability without a home. In the book, I share how I used education and discipline as a rebellion tactic and how I became resilient in order to make it in life,” says Lebo.
The book, published on Africa Day 2026, is not just her story. It’s her declaration that, what was done to my generation will not be done to the next.
While her foundation was rocky, Lebo is a living testament to the notion that your circumstances do not have power over the calling of your life. Lebo reminds us that whilst it is important to dream beyond our circumstances, we also need to put in the hard work to realise these dreams.
The same child who was born into instability grows up and creates stability for herself and her family. From buying her first property at 25 to building wealth through a property portfolio using different strategies and then publishing Bricks to Riches, Lebo shows us what’s possible.
She has literally turned the chaos that used to define her past into compounding collateral for the future.
This, for her is what liberation means: “I love the fact that women are now given an opportunity to make money for themselves and they can own property without depending on anyone else. These were rights they never had before. Financial independency and freedom are what makes me tick as a woman.” The proof is in the pudding. Through her Klipa Property Masterclass Community, Lebo plays an active role in ensuring equitable access to financial resources and knowledge. In the classes and in partnership with experts and accredited professionals, she shares empowering information about different wealth creation strategies. 90% of her classes cost R100, hence the name Klipa (a typical word used predominantly in the townships to reference a R100 note).
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The Klipa classes are open to everyone, women and men because bloodlines change when entire households do things differently. When a mother learns to invest and a father learns to budget, the children inherit something different: liberating options. This is how you intentionally change the recourse of a bloodline. Not with one big win but with R100 lessons compounded over time.
With so many hats and the evident intentionality she wears all of them, I asked Lebo how she balances it all. Her answer is all about structure not burnout: “I dedicate and allocate my time to each task. I goal set daily, weekly and monthly. As a full-time professional, I still complete my hours of work and allocate two hours daily for my business. I also allocate rest and family time accordingly, usually weekends are devoted for this.”
In my eyes, Lebo is a modern-day superwoman and a solid blueprint for what resilience can yield. Even with all that she has acquired and achieved, she remains hungry for knowledge and self-improvement. For Lebo, growth isn’t an accident but a decision she makes daily. That’s why she learns from her peers, shares and documents everything: the debt paid off, the vision board that worked, the home that burnt down and how’s she’s rebuilding. Lebo isn’t chasing perfection, she’s compounding herself, one choice, one lesson and one “new version” at a time.
“My main superpower is faith, that is believing in God. Added to that is confidence, being resilient, adaptable, understanding my purpose and the love of people.”
All this makes sense as to why even the fire that rampaged her home recently didn’t break her. She grieved and still showing up for the Klipa community as best as she could. As she rebuilds, she’s not only laying bricks and cement to form a house, she is building a legacy that will transcend many generations to come.
Her message to women this women’s month is “Start where you are, with what you have. Do it scared, apply more pressure and value yourself.”
This is great reminder to all of us that you don’t need perfect conditions to start anything. A willing heart, a belief in ourselves and the audacity to show up as we are remain the key ingredients to a different outcome.
Even with all that she’s achieved, Lebo isn’t one to sit on her laurels with an “I’ve arrived attitude”. She’s already working on her third and fourth books. She’s also working on developing a multi-let property and researching the development of her commercial land where she dreams of building an amusement school. These are amongst other things that she’s grateful for in this lifetime.
Lebo Grass is what happens when opportunity meets grit. She’s a woman who turned rights that “never existed before” into real property, tangible investments and a thriving community.
Lebo's Property Book Lebo's Memoire
I am excited to read Lebo’s books and see her grow even beyond her wildest dreams. Her books are available on her website, Draft2Digital, Amazon or directly from her:
Email: Lebograss@gmail.com
Website: www,lebograsscribs.com
Phone: +27 82 847 7340
If you want to connect with her on social media, just search for Lebo Grass on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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