Jason English was 21, wearing a vest, and standing between a light and a silhouette when the bullet hit him — and that was still not the closest he came to dying in uniform.

Thirty years later he runs an ecosystem of more than 5,500 people across the Middle East and the United States, built through acquisition, a forensic investigation that made his hair fall out, and a run of yeses he had no idea how to deliver on.

In this episode he tells Justinus and Flip what policing, paramedic work and a helicopter licence taught him about running companies, and why he believes no procedure in his business should ever run longer than a single page.

This is for operators and founders who are trying to scale people rather than headcount, and for South Africans abroad who are still working out what they owe home.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

03:04 A Policeman Who Ended Up in Dubai

04:19 The Day He Got Shot 07:31 What Policing Taught Him About Business

12:22 Richards Bay to the Global Corporate Ladder

14:19 The 3AM Call That Changed His Trajectory

16:03 Cashing In Everything to Buy a Company

22:25 The Fraud Claim and the Forensic Audit

25:36 The Mentor Nobody Would Choose

28:34 The Helicopter Lesson

32:53 Scaling Across Countries and Cultures

36:59 The Oros Effect and the 51 Percent Rule

39:10 What Dubai Taught Him He Didn't Know

44:17 Building a Studio for Tom Cruise

47:06 The Most Nerve-Wracking Moment of His Life

51:36 Building a South Africa That Works for Everyone

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa's top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

When colleagues in London asked Brett Belinsky whether he was going home for Christmas, his answer was immediate: 'I am home.' That response became a personal philosophy - there are no away games, only home games.

Brett's career has crossed Johannesburg, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles, taking him from telecommunications entrepreneurship to senior roles across global media and entertainment. Today, he advises venture capital, private equity, family offices and media and telecoms businesses. He has also built Tongg, a fresh-to-order biltong company shipping across 48 US states.

In this episode, Brett speaks candidly about the tragedy that accelerated his decision to leave South Africa, the loneliness of living abroad, the discipline of staying connected and the mental shift required to start again. He also shares his views on leadership, AI disruption, the future of personalised media and why South Africans are unusually equipped to adapt.

This is a conversation about belonging without denial, reinvention without self-deception and learning to win wherever life puts you.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

01:56 The Springbok Moment That Made Him Cry

05:27 Building a Biltong Brand in America

10:41 Never Bullshit Yourself

11:41 There Are No Away Games, Only Home Games

14:06 The Army Lesson: There Is No Plan B

17:23 The Tragedy That Forced the Move 21:35 UK vs US: What Actually Changes

27:29 The Loneliest Part of Leaving

31:17 Keeping Networks Alive From Abroad

36:36 Taking Emotion Out of the Deal

38:03 AI Is Already Rewriting Media

44:38 Building a Country That Works for Everyone

47:42 The Weight of 2027

53:51 Brighton, Japan and a 1,200 Pound Bet

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

Jason Zehmke left Uitenhage for Charlotte, North Carolina on a six-month rugby stint and never came back — twenty-six years, a law degree turned banking career, and one of America's largest youth rugby clubs later. This episode is for anyone building something from scratch in a place that has no reason to want it: the operators, the emigrants, the coaches and the parents. Jason breaks down how the Charlotte Cardinals recruit kids who have never watched a rugby match, why he refuses to call his teams A, B and C, and what South Africa's historic schools are quietly losing to money. It is also an honest look at what it costs to build a life abroad, and what pulls you back to the people who put you on the field in the first place.

00:00 Down 8-0 in the Final
00:18 Welcome to Winning the Away Game
01:55 Favourite Springbok Memory
03:00 Growing Up in Uitenhage
07:11 The Talent Drain from South Africa's Oldest Schools
09:20 Three Tiers of Schoolboy Rugby
12:22 Building the Charlotte Cardinals
15:46 Why Kids Are Leaving Football
18:26 Colour Teams, Not A, B and C
19:26 Six Months in Charlotte, Twenty-Six Years Later
24:55 Homesickness and the South African Network
32:31 Why He Wears the Grey Armband
40:51 AI Risk at Wells Fargo
47:35 A Country That Works for Everyone
53:18 Looking Ahead to the World Cup

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa's top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:
Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

In 2011 a stranger messaged Greg Martin on LinkedIn asking if he would cover an IOC session. He had to Google what the IOC was, quoted for the job anyway, and has covered every Winter, Summer and Youth Olympic Games since London.

This episode is for anyone building a career out of chances they are not yet qualified for — and for every South African abroad who is trying to work out how much of home to carry with them.

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker

Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives,

innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage,

support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out

more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:

Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

Wayne Hendricks was the most junior member of Nelson Mandela’s protection team when he walked into the President’s office wearing a novelty lapel pin he had not read properly. Thirty years later he runs global security for MetLife, has worked across Goldman Sachs and Macquarie, and has landed in more countries than most people can name — and the lesson from that first exchange still sets how he hires, leads and argues.

This episode is for operators who have moved countries, changed industries, or rebuilt an identity from scratch, and for anyone who suspects that technical skill is a shrinking advantage.

The core tension is a hard one: Wayne argues South Africans have to stop reasoning from what was done to them and start reasoning from what happens next — while agreeing, without hedging, that apartheid still shapes how millions grow up. He holds both at once, and explains why most people can’t.

Along the way: the geography lottery, a girl called Rebecca who wanted to be a pilot, and the day decisiveness locked the President of South Africa inside a stadium.

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker

Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives,

innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage,

support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out

more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:

Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

Gary Boddington represented South Africa at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, then built a business intelligence company out of a Durban garage that was eventually acquired by Sage — a journey that landed him in a ski resort in British Columbia.

Wayne Fyvie played three tests for South Africa, captained the Sharks, and walked out of a change room in Cardiff knowing his body was finished and his income was about to disappear.

This episode is for anyone facing the end of one identity and the blank page of the next: athletes in transition, founders in the grind, and operators trying to work out what they are actually building for.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open
00:41 Welcome: Gary Boddington and Wayne Fyvie
02:56 Favourite Springbok Memories
05:30 The Ticky Box That Changed Wayne’s Life
08:07 First Cap, Injuries and the Press
11:56 Gary’s Road From Ice Hockey to Atlanta
15:37 Walking Into the Stadium at Atlanta 1996
19:10 Retirement and the Salary That Stops
22:32 The Haircut That Cost 200 Rand
27:28 Job First or Play First: Which Is Better?
33:52 Mentors, Relationships and Working the Room
37:54 Eating Glass for 30 Years
41:31 The Two-Year Plan and the Sage Acquisition
47:41 Sales, Cartridges and Solving Problems
50:35 Finding Purpose at 38
54:49 Building a South Africa That Works

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa's top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:
Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

This episode is for founders, operators, and anyone rebuilding an identity after a chapter of life ends. Deon Gouws, Chief Investment Officer at Credo in London, and Alistair Hargreaves, former Springbok and Saracens captain turned Wolf Pack co-founder, sit down with Justinus and Flip to talk about judgement under pressure and reinvention without a script. The core tension: rugby careers and investment careers both come with hard-won instincts, but neither guarantees you'll succeed the moment you step outside the environment that built them. From a stadium beer ban to the 2008 financial crisis to a concussion that ended a professional career, this is a conversation about building good judgement when certainty isn't available.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:49 Favourite Springbok Memories
08:29 Family, Fathers and the Game
09:54 Alistair's Springbok Memories
14:04 Growing Up Together in SA Rugby
17:34 The Concussion Decision
20:42 Building a Culture That Puts People First
23:56 From Cambridge to Credo
30:20 How Deon and Alistair Became Friends
34:53 The Myth of Transferable Skills
38:01 Building Wolf Pack From Scratch
47:04 Lessons From 2008 and Covid
51:00 Building a South Africa That Works for Everyone
55:00 World Cup 2027 and Sign Off

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa's top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:
Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

This episode is for anyone who has had to lead people without the authority, language, or home-field advantage they used to rely on.

Andre Pretorius went from Springbok flyhalf to head coach in Japan, coaching players through a translator and rebuilding his entire leadership style from the ground up.

Hank van der Merwe emigrated to Australia, lost most of his wealth in the process, and had to learn to lead people who didn't respond to the direct South African style that had always worked for him. Together they unpack the night Andre nearly lost his players' trust for good, why servant leadership isn't a buzzword, and what Hank believes AI can never replace: judgement.

Chapters

00:00 Cold Open

00:44 Welcome and Episode Setup

01:53 Favourite Springbok Memories

09:29 The Culture Shock of Emigrating to Australia

17:20 From the Leopards to Coaching in Japan

20:52 The Loneliest Month of Andre's Career

28:33 The Night Andre Broke His Players

34:35 Servant Leadership and Letting Go of Ego

42:06 Why Hank Wrote Yes I Can

55:10 Trust, AI and the Future of Judgement

59:04 Connecting With the Next Generation

01:00:10 Hank's Advice for Parenting Teenagers

01:02:32 What Andre Has Learned About People in Japan

01:06:00 World Cup Predictions and Sign-Off

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa's top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact.

Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

What happens when the biggest decision of your life looks completely irrational to everyone around you?

Former professional rugby players Jonathan Mokuena and Ernie Kruger share how faith, identity and purpose shaped the defining moments of their lives. From walking away from rugby dreams to rebuilding life in America, this conversation explores what it really means to succeed when success is no longer measured by status, titles or recognition.

If you're an entrepreneur, leader, immigrant or anyone facing a difficult life decision, this episode offers practical wisdom on navigating uncertainty with conviction.

00:00 The Decision That Changed Everything

01:12 Meet Jonathan & Ernie

04:18 Favourite Rugby Memories

08:05 Walking Away From Rugby

14:36 Hearing "Turn Around"

19:42 Starting Again in America

27:18 The Four Stages of Immigration

35:10 Identity Beyond Sport

43:52 Confronting Racism

52:15 Faith During Uncertainty

01:01:40 Leadership Through Obedience

01:09:12 Final Reflections

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:
Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

This episode is for athletes, founders, operators, South Africans abroad, and anyone trying to turn credibility into something useful after the spotlight moves on.

Keegan Daniel shares the hard reality of life after professional rugby: identity, purpose, financial planning, and the uncomfortable question of what value you can offer once the title no longer opens doors. Sven Boermeester brings the global builder’s view, showing how South African networks around the world can become more than nostalgia — they can become engines for opportunity, jobs, capital, and impact.

Together, Keegan and Sven unpack the real away game: starting over, building pathways, using networks properly, and creating systems that help other people win.

00:00 Introduction
02:33 Favourite Springbok memories
05:40 Eastern Cape rugby and hidden talent
09:23 Keegan Daniel’s unusual pathway to Durban
10:30 Sven Boermeester’s global publishing journey
14:26 Captaining the Sharks and proving people wrong
16:34 Self-belief, arrogance, and controlling the controllables
19:14 The South African network advantage
21:20 The Dubai story that changed everything
26:22 How Winning The Away Game became a book
29:24 Japan, the Sharks, and knowing when to leave
34:01 The identity crisis after professional sport
47:27 What Keegan would tell his 20-year-old self
49:35 Building a South Africa that works for everyone
58:04 Diaspora, jobs, and bringing value home
01:01:23 Alumni networks and stories beyond the gates
01:06:47 Final question and World Cup hopes

Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/

Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716

Listen on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584

Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/

Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/

Check out our other channels:
Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast

Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/

Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/