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Home / Coetzee brothers to host ‘mother of small stock auctions’
Coetzee brothers to host ‘mother of small stock auctions’
2016-06-28Staff Report 2 Windhoek Two seasoned young lads in their twenties Zirk and Xico Coetzee, trained by their father, mentor, friend, and one of the most respected auctioneers in the country, Piet Coetzee, are gearing up for a combined small stock production action of unknown proportions on July 7 at the Namboer auction pens in Windhoek. Apart from their top notch stock of various breeds, a record number of seven guest sellers’ prized animals will also come under the hammer. For the first time this year, buyers will be able to feast their eyes on the biggest selection of some 200 animals, Boer Goats, Damaras, Dorpers, Kalahari Reds, Savannahs, Persians, Veldmasters and Meatmasters sheep. Jan Jacobs, Le Roux van Wyk, Theuns Kotze, Wynard van Staden, Nico Truter, Piet Coetzee and Christi Labuschagne would be the guest sellers. Speaking to the two always-on-the-run Coetzee brothers, it becomes apparent that they don’t see auctioneering as glamorous. “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 trading as Namboer, which they run as a family business, have been crowned Auctioneering Group of the Year. Wife and mother, Nicolene, is the broom that sweeps every floor with her administrative skills and financial know-how, while Xico and Zirk assist Piet in running Namboer like clockwork. With a father like Piet, who has won world championships with his small stock, 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 (21) made world headlines when only16 years in 2011 became the world’s youngest qualified auctioneer in South Africa. Zirk (25) also joined Namboer at a very young age. Piet has been crowned Small Stock Breeder of the Year for five years in a row since 2009, and he 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. The family says there is much more to auctioneering than meets the eye. “We are entertainers who must be able to read buyers’ body language as well as their sign language at auctions. You have to stay very focused at all times, ensure a repertoire with the audience and have a thorough knowledge of the animals you are selling, their worth and their potential selling price. Every auctioneer has his/her own chant, which is another useful tool with which he or she ensures discipline and order during auctions. The way in which you open and close an auction is also vital,” they all agree. 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 the economic growth and 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.Piet says it is heart warming for him to know that his young sons will one day take over the Namboer operations as highly-skilled and very professional auctioneers. His advice to auctioneers? “Stay humble, get as much experience as possible and never say no to small auctions. See yourself as someone who can help people in need, and follow our example of doing charity auctions free of charge. Work hard to enable yourself to also handle massive auctions where millions are at stake and be professional at all times,” he says. 2016-06-28Staff Report 2
