Merino Kandonga (1950 – 2014)
As the Namibian football fraternity struggles to come to terms with the sad passing of the Blue Waters pair of Theo ‘Don King’ Mutumbulwa and Petrus ‘Kaboy’ Shovaleka, as well as Civics defender, Pieter ‘Ralla’ Klaaste – another tragedy has struck domestic football again. Former African Stars fullback Zebedeus ‘Merino’ Kandonga, has departed from the game of life after losing a long battle with diabetes. The likeable Merino, a product of the garden town, Okahandja where the majority of the all-conquering African Stars outfit in the late 70’s and early 80’s hailed from, died in a Windhoek hospital on Monday evening.
Merino (63) has been unwell for a significant number of years after he suffered a vicious stroke that left him partly paralyzed, while his speech was also impeded. He joined the Katutura glamour football club in 1974 from the now defunct Okahandja-based Black Beauty Chiefs (BBC) FC via Flames on the recommendation of hometown buddy Oscar ‘Silver Fox’ Mengo. The likeable and soft-spoken, but hard tackling defender was in the starting lineup of the Reds squad that saw off archrivals Black Africa in the Dave’s Cup final and also formed an integral part of the Reds invincible brigade that completed a whitewash during the inaugural season of multi-racial football in 1977. In today’s feature of ‘Tales of the Legends’, New Era Sports pays tribute to another departed legend.
WINDHOEK – Unlike many of his peers, Zebedeus Kandonga, better known as Merino among his admirers, started playing the beautiful game in order to escape bullying at school. The muscular, raw boy from the village started playing football at the fairly advanced age of 17 and quickly established himself as a formidable athlete at the Okahandja State Native School in 1968. Merino was not your average boy next door, he was an elegant dresser and the young lasses took a genuine liking to him as a result of his great sense of humour and generosity. He was well liked by every moving soul in the garden town – after all, his uncle the late immaculate Asser ‘Kambaera’ Kavetu owned a grocery shop in the township and young Merino was often charged with shop duty after school and on weekends. He was among that rare class of footballers who could boast about having achieved what many thought would be unachievable. Merino formed an integral part of the all-conquering African Stars outfit that made history by becoming the first black football club to show their then supposedly superiors a few finer points about the rigours of the beautiful game when Stars brushed aside Ramblers and Sparta with ease. He honed his football skills in the dusty of streets of Nau-Aib alongside Gerhard Louis, Elias Leopoldt, Moses ‘Bastardo’ Straightwolf and the versatile Herman ‘Harry’ Garus-aob where they formed a dangerous combination at the town’s only school for blacks. “In those days, we mostly played against schools from Usakos, Omaruru and the Rhenish Nama School from Windhoek, but our school was very strong and always came out tops in many of our encounters against those teams,” recalled Merino during a conversation with New Era Sports in 2008.
Merino joined forces with Black Beauty Chiefs (BBC) a football of club consisting predominantly of Otjiherero speaking footballers, where he teamed up with the late pair of Binga Kairikove and Falppie Kahengombe, Munee Ngahahe, David Nangombe, Mbangombi Kandorozu and the late quartet of Alex ‘Kai-Kai’ Vekarapi, Festus ‘Big Shoe’ Kauaaka, Natius ‘Ngarukue’ Kaitjirokere and Manfred ‘Maatu’ Tjenda. “We were just playing friendlies against the likes of Spoilers and Magic Tigers. Spoilers were the best team, because they had great players in their armoury such as the Naobeb brothers Moses and Doc, Gotty Gaseb, Gustav ‘Kanduu’ Zamuee and the late Sacharias Bantam.” His prowess on the pitch did no go unnoticed and he was soon lured to the city of lights to strut his stuff with the newly formed flamboyant Katutura-based Flames FC. “When I arrived at Flames in 1972, I found myself in the company of my hometown buddy Oscar Mengo, Asser Mbai, Kikii Ekandjo, Kariirii Katire, Karikie Hindjou and the late Sholi Tjongarero amongst a crop of great footballers under the tutorship of Issy Kahungi and the late pair of Darius Tjakaurua and Felix Kakuenje.” Flames became a formidable outfit and recruited the cream of the country’s best players with Albert Louw, Brown Amwenya, Kauru Bilhawer, Gotty Geiseb, Capro Ngapurue all joining the fray. “We were unbeatable and I will never forget that historic day when we beat African Stars hands down in the final of the then Herero Cup held annually in Otjiwarongo in 1972. Gotty and Kauru were on song on that particular day.”
Merino developed itchy feet and soon left Flames for African Stars together with Asser and Oscar, while Kariirii a product from Döbra went in the opposite direction to join boyhood team Black Africa. “That was a good move because it came at a time when the team’s old guard started to phase out for a new generation. I vividly remember the day when we played BA in the final of the first ever sponsored tournament with a staggering amount of N$ 1000, which was a lot of money at the time. Against all odds, we defeated the star-studded BA, but let me tell you this – our first choice goalkeeper Ephraim Riruako, who happened to be a product of Döbra, the breeding ground of Black Africa, developed cold feet ahead of the match and refused point blankly to take to the field – apparently dead scared to face the bullet like shots from the sharp shooting Pius Eigowab. “We managed to replace him with the late Nicky Kajau, who somehow acquitted himself well under trying circumstances as we beat our opponents 3-2 after having taken a surprise 2 goal lead in the first half.” Stars starting lineup on that historic day read as follows: Nicklaas Kajau, Oscar Mengo, Albert Tjihero, Karumbu Kahiha, Muheke Menjengua, Kaika Kuzee, Smody Kamaheke, Kierie Tjituaiza, Zeb Tjitemisa, Ben Kauejao and Merino Kandonga. “To be quite honest, the skeptics gave us no chance against the BA on that day – BA had a very good squad such as Eigowab, Mike Hans, Hassie Mingeri, Five Hochobeb, Corrie Uri-Khob, Karirii Katire, Hubert Mootseng, Malaka Somseb, Vossie van Wyk, Stouter Ochurub and Gabes Dausab.”
Afterwards, Stars became much stronger with a number of re-inforcements that saw the likes of George ‘Kongunja’ Kasuto, Immanuel ‘Choice’ Kamuserandu, Willie ‘Garrincha’ Katire and the departed pair of Gerson ‘Kaputji’ Kuhanga and Jacob ‘Soetman’ Kaune all crossing the floor to put up tent with the Reds. That was the start of the dominance of Stars in domestic football as the team became invincible – recording convincing wins over the predominantly white clubs Ramblers, Sparta and SKW in the process. “We won several tournaments around the country and became the first team to walk away with the cup double during the maiden edition of the multi-racial league in 1977. We defeated Ramblers in both finals and I tell you, they had a very good team with Werner Sasse, Bobby Craddock, Gunter Hellinghausen, Willie Roesner and Hasso Ahrens all players who could have easily walked into the starting lineup of any top club at the time, but we matched them pound for pound after we acquired the services of Zairean refugee Zenga Dodo, Ace Tjirera and Willie Rwida.” Merino attributed the remarkable showing of the Reds mainly to discipline and good organizational play. “The spine of the team was just phenomenal and we had the best goalkeeper around in the shape of Ndjiva Kauami, while the combination of Oscar and Kaika in the midfield was something out of this world complemented by the near faultless defensive ability of Rwida and Tjihero. Our coach Kella Kauta, was a strict disciplinarian and that rubbed off on all of us. Nobody told us how and when to train as we would engage in roadwork ages before dawn at any given time, because we played for the love of the club and the pride of our tribe.” He had great admiration for former Orlando Pirates versatile midfielder Ambrossius Vyff, team mates Oscar Mengo, Kaika Kuzee and Ace Tjirera, while he also held Lemmy Zararus (Blue Water) and Albert Louw (BA) in high esteem. During his tenure with the Reds, Merino formed the backbone of the team’s rearguard alongside notable defenders led by Kierie Tjituaiza, Bush Menjengua, Albert Tjihero, Kariirii Katire, Soetman Kaune, George Gariseb, Willy Rwida and Lemmy Goagoseb. Merino, also known by his clan name Karonga, was a loyal soldier who remained true to his beloved Reds even when his close hometown buddies severed ties with Stars to form their own club Liverpool FC at Namibia’s independence in 1990.
By Carlos Kambaekwa