For decades, Mike Vusimuzi Ntombela was known for creating opportunities on the football field. The former Wits University and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, affectionately known as “Nanana”, earned a reputation as a talented left-back before moving into player management after retiring from professional football.
Now the Soweto-born businessman is pursuing a different passion: wine. He has launched his own brand, Take Me Home, adding to a portfolio of ventures outside the sporting world that includes sports merchandise sales and football player management.
The launch
Ntombela recently introduced the wine range to patrons at Mkhabela’s Café, a popular social venue owned by businessman Solly Mkhabela. For him, the event represented the culmination of a vision that had been years in the making.
Describing himself as a serial entrepreneur, Ntombela said he believed success could be achieved across industries with commitment and hard work.
The brand was officially launched at Sakhumzi Restaurant on Vilakazi Street in Soweto but its roots stretch back six years to a conversation with his former physical trainer, Gideon Silwana, who introduced him to opportunities in the wine industry.
The groundwork
Silwana connected Ntombela with Roodezandt RF, a Robertson wine producer in the Western Cape. After meeting the company, Ntombela decided to enter the industry and began developing a business strategy. What followed was years of planning, market research and product development. “It took me six years to refine the concept and develop the strategy,” Ntombela said.
Funding the business began with his savings. “Everything started from my own pocket. Later, some of my friends also invested in the venture,” he said.
Ntombela wanted to create a brand that reflected his personality and resonated with South African consumers.
“I wanted to bring my own flair to wine drinkers,” he said.
He worked with Roodezandt RF on blend selection, bottling, labelling and packaging, relying on the company’s decades of experience to help bring the concept to life. Founded in 1953, the winery’s expertise gave him confidence that Take Me Home would enter the market with a quality product.
He also researched consumer preferences, visiting retailers and studying buying trends to identify the types of wines South Africans enjoy most.
The delay
Ntombela said he delayed pursuing the venture for years out of respect for his mother, Elizabeth Ntombela, whose views on alcohol made him hesitant to proceed. After her death in 2023, he felt able to move forward with a project he had long considered.
“In 2026, I decided the time had come to pursue the business fully,” he said.
Building the brand
Ntombela wants the brand to become associated with connection and conversation.
“As a storyteller, I believe Take Me Home can become a conversation starter among people discussing everything under the sun,” he said.
Ntombela hopes to leverage his international network to eventually introduce the brand to overseas markets.
“I know there are many wines competing for customers but I am entering the market with agility and a sharp mentality.”
Leaving a legacy
Ntombela sees his new business as a vehicle for creating a legacy for his family.
“When I first started thinking about this business, I was thinking about generational wealth for my children. That is the legacy I want to leave,” he said.
- For decades, Mike Vusimuzi Ntombela was known for creating opportunities on the football field.
- The former Wits University and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, affectionately known as “Nanana”, earned a reputation as a talented left-back before moving into player management after retiring from professional football.
- Now the Soweto-born businessman is pursuing a different passion: wine.
- He has launched his own brand, Take Me Home, adding to a portfolio of ventures outside the sporting world that includes sports merchandise sales and football player management.
- The launch Ntombela recently introduced the wine range to patrons at Mkhabela’s Café, a popular social venue owned by businessman Solly Mkhabela.
