In one of the most inspirational talks hosted by Reuben the Screwman at the Karoo Art Hotel to date, he spoke to a man a man whose life story embodies resilience and determination.
While everyone that attended this Life Before Barrydale talk may have noticed the improvements that were implemented by Janique and his wife Lindie-Lee since they took over the grocer, few would have ever imagined that the man who now heads-up the OK Grocer was once a street kid.
Abandoned as a child, raised in an unforgiving system, and forced to fight for every opportunity, Janique’s journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of seeing the positive in even the darkest moments.
From Abandonment to Adversity
At just three years old, Janique and his two sisters were left at a bus stop by their parents—never to see them again.
The three children were taken in by a Red Cross Children’s Home in Johannesburg before being placed in the Abraham Kriel Children’s Home, a place where vulnerability was a weakness and survival meant toughening up fast.
“Children’s homes aren’t as glamorous as they say,” Janique recalls with a bitter chuckle.
“I probably cried for two-three years, looking for my parents,” he recalled.
He also learned at some of the harsh realities of life at a very young age.
“At the orphanage and later reformatory school you have all these random people telling you what to do, when to do it and doing ungodly things to you and really teaching you that life is all about survival.”
Reflecting on his journey, Janique learned that the friends he made at the Children’s homes are today either very successful business people…. or dead.
“There’s no inbetween. You either get into drugs, go down the wrong path, think the world owes you something and you eventually die. Or you decide that they will not tell me who or what I am.”
A Turning Point: The Teacher Who Changed Everything
By Standard 5 (Grade 7), Janique was sent to a reformatory school after becoming a self-described “problem child.”
Boarding school is a place where you need to stand your ground. Barely two hours into his first day he was already in his first fight.
“They want to see where you rank. It’s like prison for children and it can be compared to the military as well.”
Drugs, crime, and brushes with the law led him down a dangerous path—one that saw him land in Greytown Prison awaiting trial at just 17-years-old.
Janique and a few friends ran away from the police, they were eventually caught and decided they would fight their way out of capticity.
They succeeded for a while but after about 30 minutes the tables were turned and they received the “beating of a lifetime”
Then, something unexpected happened. A teacher, unwilling to give up on him, took action. One afternoon, after witnessing Janique’s indifferent attitude at the athletics, he slapped him off his feet.
Instead of just rage, it ignited something inside him.
“That slap woke me up,”
“The teacher made me pick up a discus and throw it again—and suddenly, I realised, I wasn’t useless. I actually had talent.”
That moment changed his life. He would go on to represent South Africa in athletics, swimming, and rugby, earning national honours.
More importantly, he learned that success wasn’t about where he came from—but what he chose to do with his future.
The Rise of a Self-Made Entrepreneur
With no financial safety net, university was never an option. Instead, Janique hustled.
His first job was working on a farm for one of his teachers in exchange for food and shelter. He quickly learned the trade and later he started buying weak lambs at auctions, nursing them back to health, and selling them for a profit.
Within 18 months, he owned 120 sheep, 80 cattle, and a thriving poultry business.
He used this first stepping stone to move to Pretoria (he sold his livestock for a good profit) where he started a modelling agency.
In the big city he fought for the rights of some of his models who were being sexually harassed and made it on to national television – sporting a black eye that received after taunting a Blue Bulls supporter.
The life long Sharks supporter later moved to Cape Town where he first lived in a caravan park in Bellville due to the impolsive nature of his relocation.
From there he entered the labour force and he would go on to built businesses in retail, security, and even international trade.
His rise wasn’t without hardship—betrayal, failed partnerships, and starting over multiple times—but he never stopped pushing forward.
“In everything that happens in life there is a positive or a negative and we decide as people what we will take from the situation. Am I going to follow the positive route or am I going to be negative about it?
And it was at the point where he found his true love and life partner where things took a serious turn for the best.
From a Tinder date to an intriguing relationship with Barrydale
Janique’s life took another turn when he met his wife, Lindie, on Tinder. “Her voice alone sealed the deal,” he laughs. “We’ve never been apart since.”
Now, as the new owners of OK Grocer Barrydale, they are bringing the same grit and determination to this latest venture. Janique sees the struggles of the town – the good, the bad, and the challenges – but embraces them head-on.
Along with the team at VM&K and News62 he has already made a difference in the lives of thousands of residents by donating food and other groceries.
Asked about the Barrydale experience – trust the man who grew up in an orphanage to have the skills to deal with just about everyone.
“Barrydale is a different crowd. You get nice people and not-so-nice ones, but we can deal with all of them,” he says. “Criticism keeps me on my toes. I always know what’s happening.”
For Janique Olivier, life has been a relentless game of snakes and ladders—sometimes climbing, sometimes falling, but always playing.
“Success isn’t about never failing,” he says. “It’s about deciding—every single day—not to let life define you, but to define yourself.”
