A proud product of Windhoek’s old location where only the toughest survived, trying by all means using all tricks in the book to escape the wrath and constant bullying from the notorious pair of ‘Ou Windhoek, and Xoates, ‘Ou Xam’ was your typical streetwise kasi boy and knew exactly how to wangle and maneuvre his way out of tight situations. 

In real life, ‘Ou Xam’ worked as a water meter reader for the municipality, responsible for accurately recording water consumption data from residential and commercial properties, a portfolio that was held in high esteem during the dark era of apartheid back in the day.

When the impoverished township of Katutura was entangled in unpleasant activities with the sudden mushrooming of gangs, it was left to Ou Xam to defuse this unpleasant emerging episode. 

He single-handedly took it upon his tiny shoulders to confront the naughty boys head on. 

The likes of Pantsula Boys, Dumba Four, Amigo, One Way, and in later years Rooi Oog gangs made it their soul beat to terrorize residents causing mayhem among the peace-loving Katutura community.

The wide awake energetic ‘Ou Xam’ devised a clever plan to defuse the no-good-boys’ puke-inducing unbecoming behaviour. He formed a football team for street kids, the Namibia Sport and Recreation Club (NASOK) Eleven in an effort to keep the boys busy and far from the evils of society. 

This was followed by a kung fu club where he took young boys and girls through the tough and demanding rigors of self-defence. 

With a little help from the late tennis guru and astute football administrator Vorster Moetie, ‘Ou Xam’ acquired a piece of open land between the Immanuel Shifidi and A.I Steenkamp learning institutions to set up shelter for his recruits in Damara 7, a dangerous section infested with crime, drug abuse and life-threatening gangsterism.   

Next stop was a volleyball club to fulfill his ‘Vision Peace’ through sport and self-defence. The institution grew in leaps and bounds with numbers ballooning to hundreds, punctuated with the addition of clean-up campaigns. 

Residents took to the streets, walking around the poorly maintained Katutura location and the slightly upmarket Khomasdal Township, a demarcated residential area for apparent ‘civilized’ non-whites, voluntarily removing gabbage. The forever fit as a fiddle ‘Ou Xam’ was very much instrumental in cultural activities on top of being a polished story teller, narrating interesting tales from old location about atrocities committed against the marginalized community at the dirty hands of the notorious trigger-happy ‘Bowker Boys’.    

A true son of the soil, ‘Ou Xam’ tirelessly advocated the betterment of his community and was determined to use sport as a vital tool to eradicate poverty while producing law abiding citizens.  

Additionally, ‘Ou Xam’ used his more than five decades’ experience in martial arts for the fight against gender-based violence by offering defence classes to vulnerable women and men across the country. 

He was a strong believer that women should take safety in their own hands by mastering the art of self-defence.   

Sole founder of the Namibian Sport and Recreational Centre (NSRC), ‘Ou Xam’ said at the time, the organization was primarily birthed to equip Namibians with the necessary zeal to intensify the fight against the brutal apartheid South African regime after the forced removal from Windhoek’s old location in 1968, before Namibia attained her long-awaited freedom in 1990.   

His impressive resume included being the designated instructor of the Katutura-based Osbak Kung Fu Club. He underwent training in karate at Swakoppoort dam under the watchful eye of T Kruger under the theme: Leadership in Sport in 1980. Ou Xam’s sporting activities transcended to other areas of interest after he teamed up with the Namibia Nature Foundation in collaboration with the local government fund on behalf of the Royal Netherlands Embassy to clean up roads and urban areas throughout the country. 

This particular practice culminated in the realization of his long-held dream of bringing unemployed youths on board. The group worked hand in glove with Collect-a-Can, Namibia Glass (recycling bottles), and the Ministry of Transport and Communication. 

Eldest son of Ananias Eiseb, ‘Ou Xam’ was a dedicated lifetime member of the old location Heritage Troupe and played a pivotal role with the establishment of football teams and music groups by rehabilitated ex-gangsters that went through his magical hands.