Deon Schlechter
Windhoek-Early in July each year smallstock farmers start licking their lips for the two young Coetzee brothers, Zirk and Xico’s joint production auction, where the cream of the crop of various breeds are on offer.
This Thursday will be no different and promises even more thrills when the two brothers team up with five guest sellers to present one of the most exciting small stock auctions this year. Christie Labuschagne, Francois van Rensburg, Willem Janse van Vuuren, Betie van Zyl and Dirk van der Merwe will bring some of their best stock to the arena.
Buyers will be able to feast their eyes on the biggest selection (almost 200 animals) of Boer Goats, Damaras, Dorpers, Kalahari Reds, Savannas, Persians, Veldmasters and Persians.
“Auctioneering still suffers from entrenched negative perceptions, but auctioneers are the pistons in a well-oiled machine driving the economy of the livestock sector,” says Zirk. The brothers, who are in a closed corporation with their father Piet Coetzee, trading as Namboer, was crowned Auctioneering Group of the Year last year, and they run it as a family business. Nicolene Zirk is the broom that sweeps every floor with her administrative skills and financial know-how, while sons Xico and Zirk assist Piet in running Namboer like clockwork.
With a father like Piet, who has won world championships with his smallstock, and holds the world record for the most expensive Van Rooy ram at N$45,000, it is no wonder Zirk and Xico have followed in his footsteps. Xico, 22, made world headlines when at the age of 16 he became the world’s youngest qualified auctioneer in 2011 in South Africa. Zirk, 26, also joined Namboer at a very young age.
Piet has been crowned Smallstock Breeder of the Year for five years in a row since 2009 and is also one of only 370 individuals in the world to have been awarded the National Auctioneers Association’s prestigious Certified Estate Specialist (CES) award as an internationally qualified specialist auctioneer.
Piet says he never forced his sons to become auctioneers, it just happened naturally as they are both outdoor people who love to work with animals and can’t stand sitting in offices.
“I invest heavily in them and share every piece of my experience with them, because it is a family business that one day will be theirs. From the moment we open our eyes we are a team and that dedication has resulted in Namboer being rewarded countless times by the industry, stimulating economic growth and the development of Namibia.”
Zirk received the SAIA Golden Merit Award in 2012 and Xico walked off with the same award in 2011. Piet was also crowned SA champion auctioneer in 2008 and competed at the world championships in Nashville in 2008.