Winning The Away Game

A safari romance brought SJ Botha to America. A small butcher shop in Tennessee eventually brought him into business with Jack Link’s.
In between came a granite business started with a $5,000 credit card, a move back to South Africa, an American barbecue restaurant in Upington, and another fresh start.
SJ joins Justinus and Flip to talk about building businesses with his wife, Virginia, finding a market for traditional biltong, and doing the work to prove its production process. He also explains why choosing a business partner came down to family values, and how his work now takes him far beyond Tennessee.
In this episode
Meeting Virginia while working as a game ranger in Kruger
Learning the granite trade and starting a business in Tennessee
Moving back to give their children a South African childhood
Starting again after a difficult visa experience
Opening a butcher shop with support from Nashville’s South African community
The research behind their traditional biltong process
Online growth, a failed retail brand and the relationship with Jack Link’s
Keeping a connection to South Africa while living abroad
Chapters
00:00 Meet SJ Botha
02:33 A safari romance in Kruger
08:03 Building a granite business in Tennessee
14:03 Moving the family back to South Africa
17:08 Bringing American barbecue to Upington
21:09 A visa setback and another move
25:17 Starting again with a Tennessee butcher shop
30:37 Proving the traditional biltong process
37:34 Online growth and a retail brand that failed
40:31 Choosing the right business partner
44:03 Biltong Depot and taking the process worldwide
49:35 Family, home and representing South Africa
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/

"I am a refugee. That's part of my identity now."
Lianda Alkema, known online as Lily van die Plaas, grew up in Mooinooi, ran a beauty salon in Port Edward, and in late 2025 moved her family to Fate, Texas, through the US refugee programme. It took three months from decision to plane. They gave away almost everything they owned.
A year later she is a recruitment, marketing and talent community specialist at TUSA Inc., and her page has become a lifeline for South Africans landing across the US, with up to 2,000 messages a day.
Justinus and Flip talk to Lianda about leaving her 96-year-old grandmother behind, arriving during the US government shutdown, the women who turned up with Lego and Walmart trolleys, and why so many South Africans are overwhelmed by kindness when they arrive.
In this episode
- Why she resisted the move, and what changed her mind
- Saying goodbye when you can't go back for five years
- How a WhatsApp group became Lily van die Plaas
- Helping new arrivals find jackets in Buffalo and jobs in Dallas
- The first weeks: jet lag, job hunting and mental health
- What South Africans abroad can do for the country they left
Chapters
00:00 Cold open
00:39 Welcome: meet Lily van die Plaas
02:31 Her favourite South African memory
03:22 One year in Fate, Texas
04:41 How the refugee application started
07:23 Three months from decision to plane
07:40 Goodbye to her 96-year-old grandmother
10:17 The quiet moments: family left behind
12:20 Arriving during the US government shutdown
13:44 Walmart trolleys and the women who helped
16:50 "I am a refugee": owning the label
18:42 Mooinooi, the Congo mines and Rustenburg
22:02 Loss and resilience
24:03 How Lily van die Plaas started
25:27 "My kids don't have jackets"
27:02 Moving from Buffalo to Dallas
28:29 "If it wasn't for you"
31:51 Why the job hunt is so hard
33:00 The first weeks and mental health
37:44 Responsibility, and the trust from her salon days
39:55 Recruiting at TUSA Inc.
42:44 Big plans: Lily van die Plaas merch
43:57 South Africa's complexity
45:36 What South Africans abroad can do
50:19 Five years from now
52:26 Thank you and goodbye
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/

Too much work, not enough people. That is how Marinus Ferreira sums up the American job market, and why a staffing career that started in Secunda now places South Africans in jobs across the US.
In this episode of Winning the Away Game, Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe talk to Marinus about a career that runs from building sites in Israel and the bars of London to Sasol shutdowns, the Middle East and, since 2022, Texas. He explains why South African work ethic is an easy sell to US employers, how he filled a 150-person shutdown in Houston on his own, why recruiting in the US comes down to poaching, and how a training programme inside prisons could change lives.
ABOUT MARINUS
Marinus Ferreira grew up in Secunda and began his career in accounting and the commercial side of South Africa's industrial economy. He spent more than four years placing people into work in the UK before building a staffing career across major industrial projects in South Africa, the Middle East, Bermuda and the United States. Today he is founder and CEO of TUSA Inc. in Texas and Managing Director of the Southside Group. His work spans industrial staffing, executive search, business transactions and New Beginnings, a TUSA initiative that helps formerly incarcerated people return to stable employment.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Why South Africans earned 10 shekels an hour more on Israeli building sites
- The radio line that made him quit Sasol for London
- Running petrochemical shutdowns with 6,000 to 10,000 extra workers
- How COVID made the business more money, and the 100% bonus that followed
- Moving the family to Texas with eight suitcases
- 150 ordered, 143 delivered: the Houston job that made his name in the US
- How poaching drives US recruiting
- New Beginnings: the plan to teach trades inside prisons
- 300+ placements, and only three or four that did not work out
CHAPTERS
0:00 Houston: too much work, not enough people
0:50 Welcome: meet Marinus Ferreira
2:17 Favourite Springbok memory
3:10 Growing up in Secunda
4:43 First taste of the world: Israel
7:06 From Sasol to London
12:20 Going it alone: labour-broking
14:44 The shutdown business
16:10 The Middle East
16:31 COVID
18:14 Making it in the US
22:41 Family
25:29 Starting again in Houston
29:02 New Beginnings
31:08 A new talent pipeline
40:26 What's next
43:55 Wrap-up
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/

Damien Dossin has started from nothing twice. He left East London for Belgian military service without a word of French or Flemish, then followed his American wife to New Jersey in 1997 and built a career of more than two decades in beauty packaging, starting with a bag of samples and a calling list. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe why the moves that shaped his career came through relationships rather than resumes, and why newcomers abroad sometimes have to push their way into a circle. He also speaks openly about the stage four cancer diagnosis that stopped him at the height of his career in 2018, and how it changed the way he handles stress and conflict. This is for South Africans starting over in a new country, salespeople who live with rejection, and executives approaching their next chapter and wondering what comes after the career.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:27 Springbok Memories From Brussels to Baltimore
04:19 Lessons From Selborne College
06:30 Choosing the Belgian Army
10:19 No French, No Flemish, No Friends
15:20 A New Marriage and a Move to America
19:09 Starting Over, Twice
22:55 How South Africans Took Over Baltimore
25:45 A Bag of Samples and a Calling List
29:30 The Diagnosis That Changed Everything
39:27 Why Relationships Beat Resumes
46:39 Giving Back Through Music
49:58 Raising American Kids With South African Roots
55:46 Turning 60 and Deciding What's Next
1:01:46 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/

Glen Grundy spent 27 years building a Bearing Man Group business in Witbank, starting in the stores on a first paycheque of R750. Then his partner walked into his office with a number on a piece of paper, and he said yes in 24 hours. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe how a family gap year turned into a second business in Utah, sealed by a franchise agreement that is still one text message long, and an eleven-year road to US citizenship. This is for founders weighing an exit, operators starting over in a new country, and South Africans abroad who feel they have to pick a side. Glen's answer is that you don't: be greedy, take both, and never turn your back on the country that made you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A good exit is rare. When a clean one arrives, with no earn-out and the cheque in the bank tomorrow, be ready to decide.
Know your number before anyone asks. A recent, honest valuation turned a surprise offer into an easy decision.
Trust compounds. A friendship from the army became a franchise agreement with no contract.
Sell results, not "smoke and mirrors". Glen asks advertisers to track calls and hold him to account.
Relationships open doors that applications can't. Glen is in Utah because two friendships happened to cross there.
Staying connected beats staying cynical. Complaining about politicians helps no one; showing up for people back home does.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:31 Three One-Pointers in Paris
07:01 From Boarding School to Tank School
11:20 Back on Civvy Street
14:34 Succession, Then a 24-Hour Exit
18:46 A Gap Year Around the World
21:54 Falling for Utah and a One-Line Deal
25:18 "Measure Me": How The Home Mag Works
28:44 The 11-Year Road to Citizenship
30:39 Pretoria Boys High and Giving Back
36:47 1,000 Miles Nonstop With His Son
38:55 Looking Back With Honesty
41:38 Back to School at 62 47:20 Dakar and the Oil Trail
53:06 Don't Write Off South Africa
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/