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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe national team rugby player Jafet Ndebele has “divorced” from the sport that gave him fame, finding love in golf, a sport that has cemented his steel business.

A product of Plumtree High school, who went on to play club rugby for Busters and Old Miltonians, the 36-year-old now runs a thriving steel business, with three branches – one in Bulawayo’s city centre, at Renkini and in Gwanda.
The steel business is taking most of Ndebele’s time, a situation that also influenced his decision to quit coaching rugby so that he concentrates on growing his venture.

“I’ve quit rugby. The only way I’m now contributing to rugby is to give youngsters or players work if we’ve got openings at our company. We also allow them to take time off to go for training or tours because I understand what it is like to balance rugby and at the same time fend for yourself and family.

“The reason why I quit coaching rugby is that it was time consuming and affecting business. Coaching is time consuming and challenging. It needs a lot of commitment and to be honest, there were times when I was thinking of what’s happening at the shop while on the field. I wasn’t giving the sport all the attention and had to take that hard decision to quit,” said Ndebele.
The zeal to have a “personal touch” with his clients also contributed to Ndebele leaving the sport that took him to many countries representing Zimbabwe.

“When you’re at the field, coaching, you discover that at times clients feel that they’re not being treated well. As we were setting up Elite Steel, I had to be hands on to make sure that the foundation is strong,” he says.

Just how did Ndebele, who enrolled for mechanics at Bulawayo Polytechnic in 2008, get into the steel industry?
“I just seized the opportunity that presented itself to get into the steel industry. We had a mechanical workshop along 14th avenue where we fixed cars. Upon talking to a number of people who used to frequent the place, we discovered that there was a demand for steel and we decided to try it and it worked. It was a calculated risk.

“I also think it was time to get a fresh challenge because mechanics has become tough. Dealing with people’s cars is delicate. Some will get counterfeit parts that have no guarantees and when they break down, they turn to put the blame on you. But when we got into steel, it became a sweet movement,” Ndebele says.

He works with his wife Varaidzo Mamire who quit her managerial job at one of the leading hotels in the city.
“Working with my partner is good. I encourage people to work with their partners because it brings you closer, it makes life easier. Even when I’m at home, at times I might lose some focus thinking a lot, but if you have that partnership you bounce off ideas on how to expand the business as you’re a joint team. You become a winning team in every aspect,” he says.
The former rugby star is now an avid golfer.

Jafet Ndebele

He participates in most corporate organised competitions where he seizes the opportunity to market his steel company.
Ndebele has tied a number of deals from the greens, making golf and steel his joint second love after his wife.

“I was introduced to golf by an Old Miltonian Mr Midzi. Golf is good in the sense that you don’t only exercise, but you get to interact with the corporate world. Taking part in golf makes a difference to us business people because you get to expand your network, deal with decision makers and even get tenders. I’ve realised more business from relationships emanating from the golf course than we’ve done with walk-in customers,” Ndebele said.

Driven by the motto; “hard work pays”, Ndebele challenges sports personalities to utilise the relations they have established to set up and pursue business opportunities that might arise.

“My message to sports people is that the unfortunate part about our sport in Zimbabwe is that it doesn’t pay well. It’s more of a passion, but at the end of the day you can’t allow passion to lead. At some stage you’ll have a family and they won’t eat your passion. So, what I encourage sports people is that when they get opportunities to do business, go for it. The nice thing about the rugby family is that they are supportive and even though I’ve quit and moved to golf, I’m grateful for the exposure to some of the contacts that have shaped my life, my business.

“I also want to thank the Almighty, our Apostle Lilian from Spirit Filled International Ministries (Sfim) for her guidance and support,” Ndebele says. – @ZililoR