JOHANNESBURG – Former African Stars protégé Deon Hotto is one of those rare players who have hit the ground running in the tough and demanding rigours of professional football in neigbouring South Africa.
The purple-haired flying winger can be described as amongst those very few who were born with a silver spoon in the mouth. Hotto made an immediate impact in the domestic topflight league with Katutura glamour football club African Stars in the middle of the 2013/2014 MTC Premiership campaign.
After some impressive displays, the Omaruru-born lad chucked off his rookie tag when he was called up for the senior national team, the Brave Warriors.
Hotto announced his arrival on the international scene with a copybook grass-cutter in the 1-all draw against Nigeria in the 2014 FIFA Africa World Cup qualifiers and confirmed his superstar credentials with another near faultless performance against Ghana in a friendly match in Windhoek.
That was enough to convince talent scouts that he was indeed the real deal and the player soon found himself in Africa’s richest football league, the South African Professional Soccer League (PSL) with Lamontville Golden Arrows.
However, alongside former Stars team mate Chris Katjiukua, the pair suffered the agony of relegation when Arrows dropped down to South Africa’s second tier division, the National First Division (NDF) in their debut season.
In a bid to make a quick return to the lucrative PSL, Arrows acted swiftly and roped in the services of former Stars gloves man Max ‘Slimkat” Mbaeva, to bolster the squad – bringing the number of Namibians on their books to three.
So far the trio have played a prominent role in keeping the Kwazulu/Natal outfit firmly on the brink of promotion to the PSL next season. New Era Sport approached the players for an update on their progress in the NDF and how they have adapted to life in Durban.
“In all honesty, there is not such a big gap between the NDF and the Namibian league, though the NDF is slightly more competitive with lots of emphasis on man marking,” revealed Chris.
“It’s a very competitive league and I strongly believe that many Namibians will make the grade here. I would like to urge fellow compatriots to target the NDF as a stepping stone to the PSL, as the salaries are by far much better here,” charged Slimkat, 25, one of five goalkeepers at Arrows.
The Namibians found it very easy to settle under head coach Shaun Bartlett, who happens to share the same culture as his new subjects. Deon could not heap enough praise on the former ‘Bafana Bafana” and Charlton Athletic forward.
Hotto added that the vibe is very cool since they get along very well with the gaffer (Bartlett) as the Namibians mostly communicate in their preferred common lingo, Afrikaans.
“The coach is very happy with our commitment. Our immediate aim is to collectively work hard and get the team back to where it rightfully belongs, the PSL,” boasted the purple-haired forward.
The trio reserved a word of gratitude for the influence of much-travelled target man Mabuthi Khenyeza, whom they describe as a role model and true leader on the field.
“He has been a revelation and possesses a winning mentality second to none. His presence in the squad means a lot to the young and relatively inexperienced players.”
Off the field, the players have formed a good repertoire with Namibian students residing in Durban, while they also make space to spend some quality time with homeboys Larry Horaeb and Dudes Mwedihanga (both with Amazulu).