Zebaldt Ngaruka 

OZOMBOUVAPA – The president of Otjimanangombe FC Uazumba Kaunatjike said their late football player Kuhepa ‘Toto’ Ndjoze went too soon.

Aged 18, the young footballer died on 5 September after a short illness in Windhoek.

Kaunatjike told New Era Sports that Ndjoze was one of Otjimanangombe FC’s promising young stars and his departure left a big void in the hearts of many in the settlement. 

“He went too soon; he was a versatile and hard worker at his age, and a disciplined player. We are in shock and the players are touched by his departure,” said the president. 

Kaunatjike added that the player, affectionately known as Toto, played mostly as a defender and was always available for his team when called up.

“He did not feature that much in our senior village team, but his contributions in the youth teams were remarkable. He also achieved a lot at school level, and it is a big loss to us,” he
added.

On his part, Otjimanangombe FC assistant coach Japandera Procollo Kamburona said Ndjoze was part of the team’s development project. 

“It is very sad to lose a young, talented and intelligent player, who was doing the talking with his feet. A player of his calibre is hard to find nowadays,” said the assistant coach. 

He added that Otjimanangombe groomed the late Ndjoze to take over from senior players once they hung up their boots.

“Toto was disciplined, and it’s bad that his talent will disappear, and he left us so early. This was his prime time to shine, and we are saddened,” said Kamburona.

One of the team’s senior players Dallazo Kavari told this publication that he will remember the late Ndjoze for his leadership quality and defending abilities at a tender age.

“He was serious on the pitch and showed great leadership qualities.  Although we didn’t play together in the first team, his contributions to our second team were exceptional,” said Kavari.

Kavari also remembers the outstanding performance of the late Ndjoze against the first team of Kalkpan FC where he scored a goal in the match during the annual December tournament of 2022 at Okovimburu Sports Ground. 

“He also went on to score the decisive penalty during the shootout and we went to defeat Epukiro’s Renamo Bucks in the quarter-final that year, and that was courtesy of his work rate,” he noted. 

He played his last competition for his village in the Omaheke Top 8 tourney earlier in July this year. 

The late Ndjoze, a grade 11 learner at Epukiro Secondary School, played a pivotal role in the school’s achievement in the football tournaments.

He was the school’s team captain, wore the number three jersey, and showed great leadership qualities.

The school’s sports officer Meeja Meeja said it was shocking and very bad news to lose Ndjoze.

“We expected him to go far with his football career, but his journey was cut short. We won the High School’s football competitions twice with him,” he said.

Meeja who is also the head coach of the school team described the late Ndjoze as a phenomenal player who was a good penalty-taker and a set piece specialist for the secondary school team.

Ndjoze’s talent was also noticed by the Omaheke Football Academy under the auspices of legendary Ngajozikue Rasta Mbuende where he went to represent the team in Belgium on several occasions. 

Ndjoze was buried at Otjimanangombe on Saturday.

-zngaruka@yahoo.com