By Engel Nawatiseb TSUMEB South Africa’s Moroka Swallows football club will embark upon a fundraising drive later this year to raise money for development projects in Namibia in a bid to honour the contributions that Namibian soccer professionals make to the club. This revelation was made by Jeff Moroka, a Swallows official who visited Tsumeb early this month to attend the star-studded wedding of his club kingpin, Mohammed “Slice” Ouseb. Swallows attach great value to the social development of communities, hence the move to plough back into the Tsumeb community through the Mohammed Ouseb Sport Development Academy (MOSDA) to support social projects. Moroka visited the SOS Children’s Village and the Nomtsoub Old Age Home at the town to familiarize himself with the living conditions of the children and senior citizens. The institutions are likely to benefit in various forms including material and or financial support upon the successful accomplishment of the campaign (fundraising). Other community projects may also line up for similar support when the necessary funding is secured, said Moroka. He stressed that Namibian professionals that play away (abroad) should realize the importance of re-diverting returns to communities where they are stemming from. ” This we do in South Africa, people like the Radebe’s and many others are actively involved in community projects because people look up to them. Both young and old know the faces behind the names of South African soccer professionals unlike in Namibia where people seem not to appreciate each other’s individual achievements.” Moroka stressed that he got a feeling in Tsumeb that people do not talk much about their role models. ” I do not mean to praise-sing about Mohammed in Tsumeb, but to talk about football heroes, both retired and active players through all corners of the country. We should respect those individuals for the contributions that they make to the image of your country. Let us pay respect to them while they are still in our midst so that they could be encouraged and motivated more to excel to greater levels,” said Moroka. Ouseb was in the country to wed his long-time partner, Namene Enkali at a colourful ceremony on New Year’s Eve. He noted that the move to finally get married would transform him into a more mature person with added responsibilities. ” This was a promise that I made to myself and my lovely wife and child some two years ago and now that I have crossed that bridge, my focus will be devoted to save enough and concentrate more on the game in order to make a success of my profession.” Ouseb said his future career in soccer looks very bright considering the fact that he has not suffered major injuries of late and that he is now fully accustomed with the playing pattern of his club. The polite football player joined the professional ranks from his former “home” club, Marathon Sugar Chief Santos of Tsumeb before he joined the Amakhosi, Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa.