Zebaldt Ngaruka
The former Secretary General of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Barry Rukoro, remembered the late Charles Kauraisa as a force behind the formation of the Namibia Football Association.
Kauraisa (89) died on 3 August 2025 in the capital. In his tribute message, Rukoro said the late Kauraisa was a giant of the beautiful game of football, and his contribution was immense.
Rukoro said the late Kauraisa was a man of many worlds, a fearless freedom fighter, a gifted footballer, a pioneering administrator and a principled intellectual.
He added that Kauraisa experienced all of this, starting from the dusty fields of Old Location, where he wore the colours of African Stars, to the boardrooms of Rossing Uranium and the global arenas of football governance.
“Kauraisa left an incredible mark,” he said.
Rukoro added that Kauraisa was the first NFA president and played a tremendous role in its formation.
“This is a man who personally paid Namibia’s affiliation fees to the international football governing body, Fifa. He believed in the power of football to unite, build and uplift,” he noted.
The former football administrator said the late Kauraisa served his leading role in clubs like Blue Waters or the Premier League with integrity and vision.
He said Kauraisa played an instrumental role during the Brave Warriors’ qualification.
“Kauraisa facilitated the first sponsorship of our post-independence top-tier league competition by the mining giant, Rossing Uranium,” he said.
Beyond the game, Kauraisa was a nationalist of the highest order.
He was part of the generation that braved exile, engaged in fierce debates about the soul of the nation and returned home to rebuild.
“He did not just witness history, but he helped shape it. Namibia has lost a proud son, the game lost a true guardian, and we lost a voice that never compromised on truth or principle,” said the former football administrator.
The late Kauraisa was buried at Eharui in the vicinity of the capital Windhoek on Sunday.
-zngaruka@yahoo.com