Rugby player turned entrepreneur says he is ‘zula’ing’

THE reception of the Xtreme Group of companies is a hive of activity as orders are loaded into boxes for collection by customers.

In the few minutes I spend waiting for its owner Morne du Plessis for an interview, I see the delivery of safety shoes and overalls among the many things sold by Xtreme.

His office, which he shares with his wife, is small and busy with people, coming in and out almost every minute.

“I travel a lot, my wife helps me to run the business,” he says.

“Namibians are into brands,” says the imposing Du Plessis, a former rugby player who played in Namibia, South Africa and Europe, when I ask him how the local market has responded to his brand of products.

This has not discouraged Du Plessis from pushing on for the last 10 years. “I am ‘zula’ing’ to survive,” he says using the South African slang term ‘zula’ (hustle). His warehouse in Windhoek’s Lafrenz industrial area is stocked with a variety of goods, a long way from 10 years ago, when he started a gardening business and was once reprimanded by Windhoek municipality officials for not providing overalls to his workers.

The business started with Xtreme Safety Wear but not wishing to put all eggs in one basket, Du Plessis has since formed Xtreme Transport, a transport company operating between Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland, Xtreme Automotive Paint, Xtreme Stationery, Xtreme Safari and Tours, which caters for Chinese tourists to Namibia and Namibia Tactical and Ballistic, which deals in riot gear supply, bullet proof vests, hand grenades and parachutes.

He says the Namibian police and army are the biggest buyers of security related products.

Du Plessis says Namibian products have a stigma attached to them with Namibians preferring to buy goods from South Africa.

He says a lot of these goods are not actually made in South Africa but in China using a similar method he employs.

Xtreme products are patented and designed in Namibia but the actual manufacturing takes place in China with about 19 containers being shipped from China to Namibia via Walvis Bay at any given time.

The business has received funding from FNB Namibia, Standard Bank Namibia and the Development Bank of Namibia. Equipment needed to run the business may cost as much as N$12 million he says.

Xtreme has an office in China and branches in Cape Town and Johannesburg and employs around 64 people, according to Du Plessis.

“Running a business in Namibia is not easy. South African companies are dominant and we need to educate Namibians to support local brands,” he says.

Another problem is that big companies operating in Namibia have also formed Small and Medium-size Enterprises or SMEs to compete for tenders with companies like Xtreme. He appealed to the government to stop the practice.

Although he says the government has been very supportive of his business, he advises the government to have better guidelines when allocating money to start-ups.

“They should train people on how to use the money. People end up buying Mercedes-Benz Mls and houses, with the money, which is a waste,” he says.

In other instances, the government gives the same machinery to SMEs who ate situated in close proximity of one another, SMEs who are in the same line of business.

When I ask him about his future plans, he simply says: “Watch this space.” When he is not working, Du Plessis is found in the gym exercising and spending time with his wife and three children.

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