Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira chats about his legacy and life after retirement

Former Springbok and Sharks rugby star Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira's life after retirement is everything he imagined it would be. 

While he might have traded his life as a sportsman to become a businessman, supporting his team mates from the sidelines and inspiring budding rugby stars has always been on the cards for him.

“I'm very grateful to have a seamless transition, because I thought about the time and way before I retired, because I knew that rugby was never going to be forever. So I forced myself to get into other things, you know, follow other passions,” Beast tells TshisaLIVE.

For the past 14 years he's been a shareholder in the fidelity security company, now he runs he's own security company Umlindi Security, sits on the board of the Sharks after being the longest serving member in the team while juggling his business ventures with his studies.

He has six months left to complete his dissertation to graduate with an MBA at the end of 2023 from Henley Business School. 

“My foundation is probably the greatest part of my legacy. So that's been amazing. Going back to school has been challenging, probably the toughest thing that I've taken up, [was] doing my master's now but it's allowed me to learn on the go and apply some of the things that I learnt in the business environment.”

Right now, his focus is on the launch of the Beast Wine Collection locally and beyond SA's borders, with Roc Nation Sports, the management agency headed by Jay Z, amplifying his work.

“I'm a big lover of wine ... I want people to kind of have a taste of the beast and on what I'm all about through one collection.

“There's a whole lot of launches and activations that we're planning to do just to introduce the wine to the public. We did launches in Johannesburg, Cape Town ... We're even planning to do one in Monaco.”

Joining the international agency has been nothing short of amazing and life changing, Beast says. 

Aside from being affiliated with many top athletes as a representative for Roc Nation, the sports icon gets to live out his dreams leaving his mark across the globe.

“A lot of people asked me, 'Why didn't Roc Nation sign you when you were playing?' But I think for me, Roc Nation signing me when I just finished off my rugby career was just perfect timing, because I was trying to redefine myself from being a rugby player to becoming a businessman, philanthropist, and also a role model.

“They just came and started this journey with me in my next chapter. We spoke about what I wanted to achieve — my goals, my objectives, my next chapter, my business ambitions ... They've literally been a game changer. I'm just grateful to work with an organisation that is forward-thinking and innovative as an organisation.”

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