Death has struck the football-loving community in the semi-desert town of Khorixas and the entire Kunene region following the sudden departure of former Robber Chanties Football Club lethal sharpshooter Joseph ‘Joe’ Benjamin !Garab.
The retired radio-caster who has retreated to his original habitat in the dry Kunene region succumbed to heart failure. Joe has been battling diabetes over an extended period ever since his retirement in 2019.
He will be best-remembered for his ferocious cannon-like shots and jaw-dropping pace. Off the field, Joe was a well-respected radio announcer and news anchor of note, cutting his teeth with the indigenous Damara/Nama radio station.
His lodging at the national broadcaster stretched over a quartet of uninterrupted decades. It’s now our distinct honour to pay dignified homage to this great son of the soil. Let his gentle soul rest in ancestral power.
Before Namibia attained her much-anticipated independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, uncompromising Khorixas outfit Robber Chanties boasted arguably the most deadly frontline combination in the annals of domestic football.
The flamboyant navy and gold strip outfit had in their armoury incredible sharpshooters shepherded by ‘Kleintjie’ Gaseb, Dr ‘Pele’ Damaseb,‘Big Fellah’ Snewe and the great ‘Doc’ Hardley.
However, there was one particular squad member whom many seem to have forgotten or is rather less talked about. A devastating net buster, the strongly-built !Garab was an absolute beast on the pitch.
Bro Joe tormented robust defenders with sheer strength, determination, and unbelievable speed. Despite living in the shadows of his more celebrated teammates, the muscular goal poacher was an unpredictable ‘silent monster’ in front of goal.
Admittedly, the speedy attacker only rose to prominence when he relocated to the city of bright lights because of work commitments. Upon his arrival in Windhoek, Joe wasted little time, and joined forces with Katutura giants Orlando Pirates.
He was duly posted to the commercial hub after crafting himself employment with the South-West Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SWABC). He occupied the portfolio of novice radio news anchor for Damara/Nama radio station, to be known as Kaisames Radio in the intervening years.
Born in Outjo in 1959, Joe grew up in Khorixas, but attended his primary school in Fransfontein. Growing up in the dusty streets of Khorixas, Bro Joe was just like many other boys his age at the time, football-crazy in the conspicuous absence of adequate recreational facilities in the dusty town.
A multi-gifted athlete, Joe also made his mark on the athletics track, excelling in both the 200 and 400-metre sprints. He also played for Cornelius Goreseb High School’s first team as a lethal goalpoacher.
Unlike many young players who kick-started their football careers with the second strings, the speedy forward walked straight into the school’s football first team, and was duly rewarded with the captain’s armband.
He was a founder member of the local outfit Mini Shadows Football Club, alongside his fraternal buddy Harry Haradoeb. The pair represented Khorixas in the northern invitational side in the then-popular regional exhibition matches.
After a few astonishing performances for Mini Shadows, the free-scoring forward drew the attention of Orlando Pirates’ talent scouts, who kept monitoring his progress closely.
As fate dictated, Joe was offered a job opportunity at SWABC, thus allowing the Buccaneers to pounce on their longtime target. In short, the dangerous lethal net-buster found new shelter with Pirates, and as they say, the rest is history.
His unavoidable arrival at the star-studded but furiously Pirates’ stable was met with mixed feelings, with the Buccaneers still reeling from their self-inflicted raw wounds following the daylight robbery in their defence of the Mainstay Cup final in 1979.
Pirates were made to relinquish their prestigious trophy to Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW), following a nauseating dodgy decision by the country’s white-dominated football authorities.
The team was harshly disqualified for their mysterious late arrival 45 minutes late for the scheduled kick-off. However, many football pundits, including the neutral fan, felt, and rightly so, that the harsh punishment somehow carried an unpleasant political odour in the tail.
The Doc Hardley-inspired Pirates defeated SKW 5-3 after extra time, following a 3-all stalemate, but were unfairly declared losers through a green-table decision in the boardroom.
Nevertheless, without hesitation, the fast-galloping boy from Khorixas was drafted into Pirates’ starting lineup straight away. Joe hit the ground running, rattling the opposition’s net with breathtaking match-winning goals.
The boy was your typical old-fashioned forward, packed a decent shot in both feet, possessed unbelievable strength, amazing pace, and could easily wangle his way past robust defenders with brutal force and lightning speed.
“I was actually one of the leading sprinters at high school, but must confess the late Dios Engelbrecht contributed massively to the improvement of my speed. ‘Uncle Dios applied different training programmes and modern methodologies upon my arrival in Windhoek. That really came in handy,” recalled Joe during an exclusive interview with New Era Sport in 2022.
Although his overall style of play did not exactly inspire many football followers, Joe’s eye-watering trademark goal-scoring prowess was second to none. It was no surprise that against all odds, the brother managed to squeeze his soul deep into the hearts of the usually hard-to-please Ghosts.
The hard-galloping raw forward from Khorixas became the toast of Pirates’ large army of black and white-clad supporters to the extent that any Pirates’ team-sheet without his name scripted on it would be considered incomplete, so to speak.
The new kid on the block formed a telepathic partnership with the evergreen Erich Muinjo, Ambrosius Vyff, ‘Norries’ Goraseb, ‘Killer’ Kamberipa and his homeboy, the pocket-sized ‘Che’ Djuella.
Unfortunately, his romance with the Ghosts ended prematurely when Bro Joe got transferred to the Otjiwarongo/Okakarara branch to man the newly-opened SWABC regional office in that neck of the woods.
Home sweet home is where the heart is; even though Joe was stationed in Otjiwarongo, he resolved to join forces with boyhood team Robber Chanties, in his native town Khorixas, featuring for the navy and gold outfit sporadically.
Sadly, a devastating career-ending niggling knee injury halted his progress as a clinical striker, obligating Joe to call it quits whilst still at the pinnacle of his promising football career.
However, the brother was not completely lost to the game that saw him drive enthusiastic spectators to the edge of their seats, chewing their nails to pieces in anticipation of his bullet shots that left many goalkeepers with permanently-fractured fingers.
Bro Joe went on to mentor Orwetoveni old-timers Black Marroko Chiefs (BMC), ploughing back the experience gained during his short stint with Pirates. Off the field, the well-spoken fellow made some eye-catching significant career strides. He was duly elevated to the plum position of manager of the popular Kaisames radio station for the Khoekhoegowab vernacular. Joe succeeded retiring veteran broadcaster Felix von Schach.
Joe held the position with distinction until his compulsory retirement in 2019. Under his watch, Kaisames sponsored several charity events, including football and netball tournaments, to raise funds.
The proceeds derived from these events were channelled towards the plight of impoverished, disadvantaged communities in the rural areas. A kind-hearted true gentleman, Joseph !Garab will go down in history as one of the most underrated net busters of his generation, though equally unable to unleash his full potential.
Up until his shock transition to eternity, the much-adored, retired broadcaster was a dedicated man of the cloth in the Lutheran church. Bro Joe was happily hitched to his long-time childhood sweetheart Meriam Garas, who bore him six beautiful children.