TRAILBLASER
By 1990 , Steyn had left Africa and set up home in Peterborough in the UK . He launched BGL in 1992 – better known as the Budget Insurance Company that provided financial services and insurance products .
By 2004 , business was booming and several strategic acquisitions and partnerships were formed . Comparethemarket was registered as a subsidiary company of BGL – although nothing official was released about the entity ’ s future purpose .
The following year , BGL reached the one million policies milestone – making it one of the most successful insurance companies in the UK .
20 years working in the industry
Personal strife While business success seems to have come easily to Steyn , happiness at home was hard won . In 2003 , Douw met Carolyn Barhuizen – a young , South African actress keen to make her mark in Hollywood . The couple were married for just five months before difficulties in the relationship drove them apart and Barhuizen moved to LA to work .
Shortly afterwards , Steyn began dating Donne Botha , a South African socialite with whom he had a very public and tumultuous partnership . In 2008 , Botha allegedly walked in on Steyn while he was with another woman – a beautician called Bianca Ferranti . Some reports claim Botha had to be restrained from attacking Ferranti with a champagne bottle .
In 2009 , Botha and Steyn purportedly got married at a ceremony held in his fivestar luxury Johannesburg hotel , called The Saxon . However , despite Botha believing the marriage to be genuine , and then later opening divorce proceedings and filing for 50 % of Steyn ’ s wealth , the marriage turned out to be a sham – with no official paperwork to prove its legality .
The legal wranglings continued for several years until the Durban High Court ruled that the couple were never married , and that a punitive cost order against Botha was warranted .
During this time , Steyn reconnected with his first love Carolyn , and the couple re-married in 2013 .
Meerkat Manor From 2010 to present day , Steyn ’ s business interests have skyrocketed . A keen political
18 November 2021