BORN in Coimbra, the former capital of his native country Portugal in 1945, Jose Lopes arrived in the copper town of Tsumeb aged 14 after his parents relocated to South West Africa (SWA), via Angola, where they had spent two years before moving southwards to settle in Namibia in 1959. The fairly raw ‘Pikinini’ started...
One of very few sport entities not birthed along ethnic lines, youthful Soweto outfit Hotspurs Football Club set the domestic football scene alight with their exciting style of one-touch, carpet football that kept spectators on the edge of their seats. Like many other newly-established football clubs, Spurs started life in the country’s lower-tier divisions, and...
Born in Otjiwarongo in 1961, Egbert Hoff was raised in Windhoek, and schooled at the revered Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek (DHPS), an upmarket learning institution primarily tailored to take German-speaking ‘Pikininis’ through the ropes in Academia. ‘Hoffy’ started kicking a football at the age of 10 for the school team but only got to play...
Like many of his peers, Sam Salomo-Emvula started his football career in the lower division with exciting youthful outfit Golden Rivers Football Club, an unofficial feeder team for the already well-established big brother ‘Ingwe-Inyama’. The team was loaded with an avalanche of talent way beyond imagination, and though Emvula was not amongst the club’s...
Well, many were always under the misplaced impression that the football-crazy Sissing was an intruding immigrant from Cape Town (‘Kaapnaar’). But truth be told, the long-haired hippy-look-like defender was a pure-born and bred Namibian, birthed in the southern capital Keetmanshoop in 1942. The early life ‘Uncle Bob’ spent a significant slice of his formative years...
Born Terence Samuel Isaacs, aka ‘Papie’, in Windhoek on the 4 February 1968, his incredible football journey was totally different from other young boys who kick-started their careers playing street football. A proud product of Bethlehem, a slightly lesser affluent residential section holed up West of Khomasdal, specifically designed to accommodate a mixture of slightly...
Born in the historical garden town Okahandja on 7 November 1946, Cosky Ngaizuvare was groomed and carefully shaped for the big stage at Windhoek’s old location where the theme was ‘Survival of the Toughest’. The strongly built young midfielder was a prominent squad member of African Stars second generation. Alumni of the Rhenisch Herero School,...
Birthed and groomed in the then Damaraland settlement, Samora !Ganeb was brought up in the Royal House of the late chief of the Damaras, Petrus !Ganeb, affectionately known as “Die Leeu van Damaraland” (The Lion of Damaraland). !Ganeb started his elementary education in the semi-desert village town of Khorixas and attained his school-leaving certificate at...
Born on 18 November 1950 on small commercial farm Gaob in the northern part of Namibia, and raised and schooled in Windhoek, Mbako-Pescha was destined for greatness at an early age. She started rattling the baskets at the fairly young age of 13 whilst a pupil at the Rhenish Herero School, alongside some of her...
Born and raised right in the heart of the sacred garden town Okahandja’s old location, young Franz Gertze was always destined for greatness. The permanently jovial light skinned boy of humble beginnings, ‘Ouman’, as Franz is affectionately known amongst his vast circle of friends and acquaintances started his elementary education at the Aurora Primary School...