The rolling chant that has echoed through SA over the past 30 years

Johan van der Nest is renowned in auction circles and was the first freelance stud-stock auctioneer to begin operating in South Africa.

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He spoke to Sabrina Dean about a career built on knowledge, experience, people skills and just a touch of showmanship.

When he first started carving out his career as an auctioneer, Johan van der Nest was viewed by many as arrogant, a flyby-night, a scamster, and even a clown.

This was because he did not back down to the then 'cooperative system' that dominated the auction industry at the time, and were set in their ways.

He would not conform to the highly regulated style of auctioneering practised in South Africa in the changeover to a free market economy during the 1990s. His swagger and rolling 'chant' were frowned upon as inappropriate and 'too American'.

He was determined and resilient, though, and believed in the change that was needed and the opportunity that was there for the taking.

Today, Van der Nest is not only renowned as one of the best auctioneers in South Africa, but he has also played an instrumental role in the development of beef production in the country through tailoring the improvement of genetics for decades.

DEFINING MOMENT

Van der Nest began his career in the livestock industry as a loading master and marketing agent with Vleissentraal. From there he left for the US, where he attended the Missouri Auction School in Kansas City. He also spent time working in the auction industry in the US.

"After graduating there I got a job in America with the Minot livestock auction company in North Dakota. This is where my career really started. I then worked with Auction Effertz in the stud stock industry before returning to South Africa.”

Van der Nest returned to South Africa around the early 1990s in a time of turmoil, change and opportunity. At that stage, the South African auction landscape was very different to the US free-trade system due to the constraints of regulatory councils such as the meat and wool boards.