  We study a two-dimensional system of spin-polarized fermions on the kagome
lattice at filling fraction f=1/3 interacting through a nearest-neighbor
interaction V. Above a critical interaction strength V_c a charge-density wave
with a broken Z_3 symmetry is stabilized. Using the unrestricted mean-field
approximation, we present several arguments showing that elementary topological
point defects in the order parameter bind a fractional charge. Our analysis
makes use of two appealing properties of the model: (i) For weak interaction,
the low-energy degrees of freedom are described by Dirac fermions coupled to a
complex-valued mass field (order parameter). (ii) The nearest-neighbor
interaction is geometrically frustrated at filling f=1/3. Both properties offer
a route to fractionalization and yield a consistent value 1/2 for the
fractional charge as long as the symmetry between the up and the down triangles
of the kagome lattice is preserved. If this symmetry is violated, the value of
the bound charge varies continuously with the strength of the symmetry-breaking
term in the model. In addition, we have numerically computed the confining
potential between two fractionally charged defects. We find that it grows
linearly at large distances but can show a minimum at a finite separation for
intermediate interactions. This indicates that the polaron state, formed upon
doping the charge-density wave, can be viewed as a bound state of two defects.
