BY SPORTS REPORTER
BARELY six months after guiding South Africa to a memorable Rugby World Cup triumph in Yokohama, Japan, Zimbabwe-born Springboks legend Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira is bracing for a new adventure, this time in the world of business.
The 34-year-old Harare-born prop was on Thursday confirmed as the new CEO and shareholder of a newly-formed South African company — Umlindi Security — a subsidiary of Fidelity Services Group, one of Southern Africa’s largest integrated security firms.
Wahl Bartmann, group CEO of Fidelity Services Group, said the new role would be a perfect fit for Mtawarira as he transitions from his professional rugby career into the corporate world.
“Tendai has been a part of Fidelity for close to nine years now as our brand ambassador,” Bartmann said in a statement “Over the past few years, Mtawarira has worked closely with me, shadowing me and joining me at many company events and meetings. I have enjoyed my time as his mentor and collaborating on a number of different projects, which have all been successful. It was only a matter of time before the skills he gained would assist him to start his own company.”
The two met through a chance encounter eight years ago and became close friends, with Bartmann eventually taking on a mentorship role for Mtawarira.
According to Bartmann, Mtawarira’s natural flair and strength as a professional rugby player and his business acumen are well-suited to the requirements of a new business venture.
Mtawarira is currently studying towards his MBA. He recently enrolled at the Henley Business School MBA programme to further prepare for his new role as a businessman with Umlindi Security and Fidelity Services Group.
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“Being a businessman has excited me for a long time because it combines many of the core values I needed in my rugby career, like teamwork, innovation, commitment, continuous self-improvement and having fun,” said Mtawarira.
“I am excited to start this new adventure and look forward to growing Umlindi into a prominent player in the security and related services industry, and look forward to more involvement with the Fidelity Services Group.”
Umlindi will focus on aspects of guarding, cleaning services, car tracking, home and business security, cash management solutions, and fire solutions.
