A Trip Down G&S Insurance Brokers in Alberton’s Memory Lane
On 1 October 2025, G&S Insurance Brokers in Alberton is celebrating 37 years of infinite stories, dreams realised, adversity conquered, and fears defeated. Nelson Mandela famously said:
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
A Gigantic Leap of Faith
On 1 October 1988, 37 years ago, G&S Insurance Brokers was born on a single desk at the back of Saamstel Estate Agents in the Bracken Gardens Centre, Alberton. I spotted an empty desk in their office while renting my very first home in Alberton and convinced their management to rent this open space to me: a youngster with only a dream to build my prospective company from the ground up.
Why Alberton, if I have never put foot in Alberton before? I was just a plain old troep in the army when I hitchhiked my way back to my wife and two children in Meyerton. This occurred in the first quarter of 1988. I saw the beauty of Alberton’s bright lights, as seen from the top of South Crest and became hooked.
The X to Y by When of Financial Planning
Looking back, it might sound a little obsessed how I started my first insurance friendships in Alberton. I somehow understood the situation I faced and how quickly I had to achieve my goals. This is what I now call my “X” and “Y” and by when. At 25, with a wife, a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, I understood the fear of not being able to provide for my family, who have depended on me as their sole source of survival.
I recall walking down the street one Saturday afternoon and meeting Kurt Potgieter as he mowed his lawn, as if it were yesterday. Today, 37 years later, Kurt is still entrusting his faith in G&S. I started making friends with Johan Taljaard, who was enjoying a Saturday afternoon refreshment on his stoep while watching his kids play in the garden. I approached Johan with the intention of helping a young father who was concerned about what would happen to his children if something were to happen to him. Johan is another example of a loyal and trusted client of G&S to this day.
If you know your X, where you are today, and your Y of where you want to be, by when, I knew then, as I know now, that your route to financial freedom becomes apparent.
From a Coffee Table on the Stoep to a Growing Family Tree
Can you imagine parking a table on the stoep outside the Saamstel offices on a Saturday morning, armed with some good old boeretroos, my gigantic PC and a Santam umbrella? The strategy was to catch the omies who did not fancy spending an hour or two in the shops at Bracken Gardens with their wives and offer these men a warm cup of coffee and conversation about their financial plan.
Yes, I know it sounds slightly crazy. At least no one would have been able to run away with that monstrosity of a PC. Those conversations turned into more trusted friendships over the years. Other friendships built over the years include Dominee Coetzee, who has since passed away. His son, Hennie; Hennie’s children; and Ds. Coetzee’s great-grandchildren all entrust their financial fears to G&S today. It is family tree clients like the Coetzees that give me goosebumps and cement my immense pride in what we have accomplished over the years.
Onto Sanlam Sentrum, the G&S Building and Unwavering Support
The single table in the Saamstel offices gave way to a slightly larger space in the then Sanlam Sentrum during 1990, just two years after the start of G&S. Sanlam Sentrum has since been revamped and renamed to what we know today as the Lemon Tree Shopping Centre. Having more space meant that we could make more trusted friends in Alberton who needed both insurance and assurance to alleviate their financial concerns on behalf of their families.
If renting a single table at the back of Saamstel was a giant leap of faith, moving into the then CNA Building in 1994 and renaming it to the G&S Building was a bungee jump into Victoria Falls. But by now, I was armed with my faith in Him who has been my guiding light all along this winding road, my faith in my own abilities, the support of my family and most of all the amazing friendships that I have formed with my insurance and assurance clients built up over the last six years in Alberton and beyond.
The Ex-Employer Conundrum
When you start your own business after having learned the basics from your employer, the first thought that often comes to mind is what the employer that you have walked out on thinks of you. Charles Sherman & Hennie Nolte were my mentors, and I owe the confidence I had in myself back in 1988 to the solid foundation they instilled in me. It is for this reason that I have decided to start my new venture in a brand-new town, where we should not compete with each other. And yes, the bright lights of Alberton did carve a deep love for what has become my hometown.
But the Charles Sherman story did not end there. Charles was kind enough to supply the warranties that I had needed at Sanlam to open my insurance company in Alberton. Without Charles’s support, I would have been stuck between a rock and a very hard place.
Our relationship over the years left me with a mentor that I could always return to for guidance. A relationship that I guard in my heart. But as they used to continue in the Verimark adverts: ‘but wait, there is more’.
Over the past 37 years, I am insanely proud of the platform that G&S has provided for an infinite number of youngsters who have found their foundation at G&S Insurance Brokers. I look in awe at the men and women they have become. Providing for their families and carving their legacies, one day at a time.
The Policy My Dad Provided
I cannot help but mention that one of my saving graces when I started G&S was an endowment policy that my dad took out for me when I was 14 years old. This policy was put to work to cover my expenses during those first couple of months. Starting out as an entrepreneur, while having a family to support, is no laughing matter. I am forever grateful for the wisdom and foresight that my father has shown. R14,000 might sound like a drop in the ocean today, but in 1988 it was enough to pay a deposit on my house and cover our expenses for three months!
The Pride & Joy of G&S Insurance Brokers
Looking back, I am incredibly proud of the team that has been built within the G&S Insurance family. I get goosebumps if I think of the pillars that have been with us for so many 30 years. The fact that our clients continuously praise our incredible service is a testament to the team that we have. Our number one source of growth is based on referrals and expanding our family tree networks. I cannot be prouder of this fact.
The Family Legacy Continues
I am often asked why I do what I do and why I continue doing what I do. Yes, it is true. Most people start considering the option of retirement when the sun’s rays are lowering in the west. I get immense satisfaction from seeing that my families are sorted out when life happens. Whether it is the pandemonium of a burst geyser, the assurance that your son can continue with his studies thanks to the provision of a policy or the solid trust that everything is sorted when that final call comes after a life well lived.
Nothing gives me greater joy than knowing that your legacy can continue. That your children, grandchildren and the succession that follows down your amazing path can continue into eternity and beyond.
By the Grace of God, I would love to continue caring for the family tree networks & trusted friendships that have been cemented over the past 37 years.
We have a legacy to continue. Reach out today & start your own legacy.