A Whole New Ball Game

After swopping his rugby kit for a suit and tie, Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira is as at home in the boardroom as he was on the field

- Kim Abrahams

HIS hulking presence and pulsating power on the rugby field may have earned him the nickname Beast but at home he’s more placid pussycat than wild animal – a gentle giant if ever there was one.

Tendai Mtawarira unlaced his rugby boots and packed away his Bok jerseys in 2019 after 11 years on pitches around the world and life is very different for the once-formidable prop now.

He’s spending more time at home than he has in over a decade and his family couldn’t be happier.

“My kids had to pace themselves when they realised Daddy is actually home for a consecutive number of days,” he says.

Tendai (35) retired from professional sport after the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup and is settling down to life in business now. But his legacy will live on: with 117 caps under his belt, he’s the most-capped prop in South African history and the third-most-capped Springbok of all time behind Victor Matfield and Bryan Habana.

These days you’re more likely to see Beast in a suit and tie than the green and gold. He heads Umlindi Security, a company that falls under the Fidelity Services Group umbrella.

“I’ve been involved in security for the past 10 years,” Tendai explains. “The CEO of Fidelity took me under his wing a few years ago when I was playing for the Sharks. He gave me a brand ambassador role and from there it grew into him offering me shares.”

Tendai later did an induction course to learn about the security industry and received a certificate from the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.

“I knew I wanted to be part of this business when I retired and I was already spending time at Fidelity, so the transition was seamless.”