The Braadcast by Norman Raad
Welcome to The Braadcast, an exclusive podcast series hosted by Norman Raad, CEO of Broll Auctions and Sales.In this series, we go beyond the hammer to sit down with the visionaries, entrepreneurs, and industry icons who are reshaping the South African property landscape. From high-stakes commercial auctions to innovative residential conversions and community-centric developments, The Braadcast uncovers the stories, strategies, and "smart-with-heart" philosophies behind the biggest deals in the country.Why Subscribe to The Braadcast?Visionary Insights: Deep dives into market trends with industry leaders.People-First Property: Exploring how social capital and community impact drive long-term ROI.Strategic Edge...
10
The Braadcast with Jackie van Niekerk (S3, Ep1): “She Kept Saying Yes”
<p>Some people grow up knowing exactly where they want to go.</p><p>Others figure it out as they go along.</p><p>Jackie van Niekerk was working out her future while serving coffee in Pretoria, paying her own way through university. She had no guaranteed path into property and no way of knowing that one unexpected conversation would change the course of her life.</p><p>Her first job in the industry wasn’t glamorous. She collected contracts, delivered documents and took minutes while other people made the decisions. But she was paying attention, and when the next op...
The Braadcast with Pieter Feenstra (S2, Ep12): “Seeing the Opportunity Before the Market Does”
<p>What does it take to see an opportunity before everyone else does?</p><p>Pieter Feenstra has spent three decades finding out.</p><p>He began his career as a structural engineer. He went on to build one of South Africa’s largest facilities management businesses, with around 2,000 people and thousands of properties under its care. And then he walked away, starting again with little more than himself and a secretary.</p><p>That decision led to the Feenstra Group, a diversified property development and management business with more than 200 staff. Along the way, Pieter became a pioneer of pu...
The Braadcast with Samuel Seeff (S2, Ep11): “The Weight of a Name”
<p>Some people spend their lives trying to build a name.</p><p>Others inherit one.</p><p>When Geoffrey Seeff founded Seeff Property Group in 1964, he built something that went far beyond real estate. He built a reputation, a culture and a name that generations of South Africans would come to trust.</p><p>Then, in 1984, he was gone.</p><p>Samuel Seeff was left to carry something he never expected to carry so soon. Not just a company, but a responsibility. A legacy. A name that already meant everything to so many people.</p><p>What followed was...
The Braadcast with Faan van der Walt (S2, Ep10): "From Bronkhorstspruit to Billions"
<p>Some businesses are built in boardrooms.</p><p>WeBuyCars was built in a garage.</p><p>Faan van der Walt grew up in Bronkhorstspruit in a humble, working class family. His mother was a teacher. His father, after losing his government job, spent years trying to find work before becoming a security guard. As a boy, Faan wasn't always proud of that. As a man, he realised his father was simply doing whatever it took to put food on the table and give his children an education.</p><p>That same quiet determination would go on to define everything...
The Braadcast with Saul Gumede (S2, Ep9): "The Man Who Left the Door Open"
<p>Some people build businesses. Some build careers.</p><p>Saul Gumede has spent his life building people.</p><p>His journey began in a classroom in 1981, during one of South Africa's most divided and difficult chapters, standing in front of young learners as a teacher who believed that education could change lives. Over the decades that followed, his path would take him from teacher to auditor, entrepreneur, property executive and one of the most respected voices in South African commercial real estate.</p><p>But titles alone don't tell Saul's story.</p><p>Growing up in a community where...
The Braadcast with Laurence Rapp (S2, Ep8): "Thinking Bigger Than Borders"
<p>The easiest thing in business is to follow the crowd.</p><p>The harder path is backing your convictions when everyone else is uncertain.</p><p>For more than a decade, Laurence Rapp has done exactly that.</p><p>After building a successful career in banking, insurance and asset management, he entered the listed property sector and has spent 14 years leading Vukile Property Fund through one of the most transformative periods in its history. Under his leadership, Vukile evolved from a South African focused REIT into an international retail property platform with a significant footprint across Spain and Portugal.<...
The Braadcast with Ivan Saltzman (S2, Ep7): "How Dis-Chem Changed South African Retail Forever"
<p>Some businesses grow because they follow the market.</p><p>Others grow because they completely rethink it.</p><p>When Ivan and Lynette Saltzman opened their first pharmacy in Mondeor in 1978 with just R10,000 in capital, the prevailing view was that pharmacy retail was expensive, conservative and difficult to scale.</p><p>Ivan saw something different.</p><p>Customers wanted better pricing, better access and a more personal experience - and he believed pharmacy could become retail in a far bigger sense. What followed was the creation of Dis-Chem Pharmacies, a business that would go on to fundamentally reshape...
The Braadcast with Jason McCormick (S2, Ep6): "Building Opportunity Beyond the Balance Sheet"
<p>The Braadcast with Jason McCormick (S2, Ep6): "Building Opportunity Beyond the Balance Sheet"</p><p>Some leaders build businesses. Jason McCormick builds opportunity.</p><p>Growing up in a family that survived on R273 a month, with a father who planted vegetables to put food on the table and made one promise to his children - a good education - Jason learned early that opportunity is never something to take for granted.</p><p>That foundation would shape everything that followed.</p><p>When he joined the family business in 2002, it employed fewer than ten people. Under his leadership...
The Braadcast with Lee Thomas (S2, Ep5): "When the World Comes to Town"
<p>What happens when an entire country becomes the stage for a global event?</p><p>For Lee Thomas, that question has been part of his career for more than two decades. His journey through the events and hospitality industry has taken him from the 1999 Rugby World Cup and 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup to one of the most significant sporting moments South Africa has ever hosted: the 2010 FIFA World Cup.</p><p>As CEO of Circa, Lee has built his career around making complex experiences work at scale. Behind the excitement of a major event are thousands of moving parts — ve...
The Braadcast with Jannie Krüger (S2, Ep4): "The Art of the Deal: Trust is Earned
<p>In property, success is often measured by what you build.</p><p>But for Jannie Krüger, the most valuable things he's built over three decades have never appeared on a balance sheet.</p><p>From his early days at Woolworths and Downtown Development Corporation to co-founding Retail Africa and later establishing Dorpstraat, Jannie has spent his career at the intersection of property, investment and entrepreneurship. Not just developing buildings — but building businesses, raising capital and bringing together the right people around the right opportunities.</p><p>In S2 Ep4 of The Braadcast, Norman Raad sits down with Jannie Krü...
