Old School SA’s Stellenbosch brothers riding Bafana Bafana fever sweeping the country

Stef and Daneel Steinmann couldn’t buy the vintage Springbok jerseys they kept seeing around Stellenbosch in 2019, a Rugby World Cup year when green and gold were everywhere, so after roughly 100 emails they found a supplier and started their own brand, Old School SA. Six years on, Old School holds official partnerships and licences with the Springboks, Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Manchester City and the NBA, and operates branded stores across the country. With Bafana Bafana back at the Football World Cup for the first time in 16 years, Old School is now the official supporters’ brand, and their Bafana kit has become so popular that, as Stef Steinmann puts it, “people are sleeping in their jerseys.” In an interview with BizNews, he reflects on their journey and the brother dynamic, how Daneel knocks on doors “making promises” while Stef makes sure those promises are kept, a balance that works. Daneel is already on the ground with Bafana Bafana in Mexico, where they played their first match, while Stef, delayed by a visa issue, is holding the fort in South Africa. What does he attribute their meteoric success to? Uniting people behind the teams they love, because people tend to remember who they were with during the big sporting moments more than the match itself. - Linda van Tilburg