Some twenty years ago, best friends Izak Oosthuizen and Wesley Stewart devised the Most-Valued-Guest (MVG) card offering exclusive restaurants deals to Potchefstroom residents. Operating on similar principles, their new Winelands PASS aims to support local businesses while providing enticing dining, wine tasting, accommodation, experiences and other shopping offers to both residents and visitors.

The Winelands PASS was developed and implemented with the main focus of driving traffic into the beautiful Cape Winelands. In addition to driving foot traffic into the valley to support local businesses, with every PASS sold, we support local by giving back to Innovation Hub Africa and the Franschhoek Hospitality Academy and Learning Centre.

Izak Oosthuizen

FOUNDER AND OWNER

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Izak Oosthuizen is a South African-born, London IT thought leader, entrepreneur, and cybersecurity expert. He is a member of the Entrepreneur’s Organisation London and was nominated for the prestigious UKTech50 award in 2022.

Izak holds several IT qualifications – including various Microsoft, Checkpoint and VMware certifications. Combined with his 20-plus years of experience in IT, and management qualifications from the London School of Business & Finance and Cranfield School of Management, he appreciates that IT drives growth but also comes with associated security risks.

In 2006, Izak founded Zhero, a London-headquartered end-to-end business cybersecurity and IT support company for SMEs. Zhero is a Microsoft Gold partner providing tailored risk mitigation, cybersecurity, cloud, IT support, consultancy, and professional services to many industry sectors, some include medical, finance, legal, insurance, and architecture. Zhero has worked with a diverse range of brilliant minds and institutions such as WeWork, Giorgio Armani, Energy UK, Edmond De Rothschild, the Federation of Master Builders, City, University of London and Dimension Data.

Izak has co-authored two best-selling IT books, ‘Adapt and Overcome’ and ‘Cybersecurity NOW’, both available on Amazon. These are essential reads for navigating the ever-changing worlds of cybersecurity, remote working, and the digitised workplace. His insights have also been featured in The Economist, UK Computer Weekly and other prominent publications.

Izak has made a name as a keynote speaker at events hosted by The Economist, N-Able, and London Market Forums (LMF). At the recent LMF 2023 Cyber Resilience Leaders’ Summit, he shared cyber-edge cybersecurity and risk mitigation strategies with contemporary pioneers such as Gary Brailsford-Hart, the Director of Information & CISO at City of London Police, and Simon Newman, the CEO of the Cyber Resilience Centre for London.

Winelands PASS is his contribution to supporting tourism in the Winelands and the Western Cape.

Andro Engelbrecht

MANAGING DIRECTOR

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Positive mindset, innovative problem solver, and visionary serial entrepreneur are just a few of the words most often used to describe Andro Engelbrecht. With over three decades of experience and expertise, Andro leads and consults with various dynamic organizations, including SA Locums and Winelands Pass. Throughout his career he has been committed to the mantra, “Thoughts become things, choose carefully,” which has guided his success. He is a powerfully positive leader and entrepreneur who believes in the possibilities and guides them through to fruition with dogged determination. Because of his proven track record of success, he is recognized for his mastery of start-ups and trustworthy business development.

His current ventures include leadership as the founder of SA Locums, a premier pharmaceutical staffing agency that leads the industry in South Africa for excellence and quality. In addition, he is the managing director of Winelands Pass, which is focused on wine tourism in the region and allows clients to access the highest quality experiences with exclusive rates. He has rounded out his current responsibilities as founder and management consultant to AR24, an armed response security company in the Swartland and West Coast regions in 2019 and more recently in 2021 he also founded Enren Energy, focusing on the solar and renewable energy industries on the Western Cape.

Andro is a native of Cape Town and was challenged early in life by the passing of his father. He understood that there were no options to success and honed his entrepreneurial skill sets, which would set him up for success in his future endeavours. Andro quickly mastered his digital skills and learned every aspect of a burgeoning business environment through technology.

He went on to build a career in the digital realm and ultimately became a powerhouse

entrepreneur in marketing, web development, and e-commerce.

His success led him to found and launch the largest e-retailer in South Africa, TheShoppingMatrix.com in the late 1990’s. Through his experiences, he expanded his roles as an entrepreneur, consultant, and venture capitalist. Some of the most notable ventures he led include Red Banner, WebIxpress, and the Tradot Corporation.

In his free time, he is committed to giving back to his local community through his work with local security groups and supporting local schools through sponsorships. Andro enjoys traveling, visiting wine farms, countryside walks, hiking, working out in the gym, operating drones for aerial photography, quad biking, and off-roading. He is a loving family man and a dedicated father of three children.