'Boots 'n all' Boosman locks in car sales through rugby

United Barbarians CEO and Kelston Hyundai Uitenhage sales executive Desmond Boosman has created the perfect marriage between his two passions – rugby and cars.

There is no sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to happen in the world of Eastern Cape vehicle sales executive Desmond Boosman.

Whether it’s selling cars or overseeing the affairs of his rugby club and the sport in the region, the 51-year-old is in boots ’n all.

What stands out about the father of two is that he has found a way to combine his passion for his job with his love of the game to benefit career and rugby alike.

As CEO of Patensie’s United Barbarians, who is currently top of the log in the Eastern Province Rugby Union Grand Challenge Middle 12, he has become a prominent figure in the Kouga rugby community.

It is through these connections that he is making Hyundai a significant presence in the citrus-growing region.

Boosman grew up in Graaff-Reinet before moving to Cape Town to study at what is now known as the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

In 1996, he was granted the chance to learn banking through a programme run by Absa forerunner Volkskas.

When a permanent position opened in Patensie, he put his name in the hat – with the full backing of his fellow trainees who appreciated that his first child was on the way.

He stayed there for the three years and it was during this spell that he was asked to serve as treasurer of United Barbarians. As a rugby-loving banker, it made perfect sense to his recruiters.

Boosman was later transferred to the bank’s Despatch outlet, where he was responsible for vehicle financing.

The move, he said, represented the first of his “weekend specials” to see his family as he had to commute between the Nelson Mandela Bay and Kouga towns.

The second episode in his long-running series of weekend specials stemmed from a move to Absa in East London in 2001, when he served as an internal finance assistant.

While the situation was not ideal given his family were not with him, it gave him an inside step into working with car dealerships. He was later appointed floor-plan manager, where he facilitated the vehicle purchasing process.

“There were even trips to Springbok and Malmesbury,” he said.

After a neighbour called him about a sinister figure lurking outside his family home in Kariega, he feared for his wife Michelle and their children’s safety while on the road and red-carded banking in 2010.

His rugby duties continued, but he was jobless for three months.

Following a lead from a taxi association whose operators wanted to buy vehicles, he called Gert van Huyssteen at a Kelston-owned dealership in Kariega whom he knew from his banking days.

“Oom Gert asked me what I was doing and when I told him he asked me to come in for a chat.”

Boosman started as a sales consultant on March 1, 2011. From there he was seconded to one of the Group’s dealerships in Cradock, but again found himself worrying about his family.

His concerns proved short-lived as Kelston Hyundai Uitenhage dealer principal Eugene Gerber offered him a position as sales executive in 2018.

He soon realised that he needed to think outside the box if he wanted to promote the Korean brand in that area. This was when his idea to introduce the vehicles to the Kouga district’s rugby community took off and sailed through the posts.

“I have connected my role as CEO and promoting my brand,” he said.

For every lead he gets through the club, Kelston donates rugby balls and equipment to the tune of R1 000.

“That’s how I do my business now. I might take a demo to Patensie for the weekend and let someone whose car is in for a service drive it until the Monday.”

A further indication of his prowess as an administrator is the fact that he secured energy drink Score as a sponsor across all three tiers of the Grand Challenge.

Word quickly spread about Boosman being the region’s go-to man for Hyundais. Strangers, including Kouga officials, will call him out of the blue to enquire about buying one.

“I tell Michelle I can’t sit at home. If I want to sell Hyundais, I’ll sell in Patensie and Kouga.”

He is very excited about the prospect of United Barbarians playing in the Grand Challenge Top 12 next year. With the two best finishers in the Middle 12 division gaining promotion, his charges are perfectly-placed to do just that.