He grew up in Zimbabwe and spent his early medical training years in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. After studying medicine at the world-renowned University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, he worked as a General Surgeon in Zimbabwe for eight years before returning to Cape Town, where he qualified further in General Surgery, Trauma Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. After completing a Fellowship in Hand Surgery in the Orthopaedic Department at the University of Cape Town, Mr Fleming was a Visiting Scientist with the Departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta and Washington State University in Seattle, U.S.A.