Truthfully speaking, no amount of words will describe the devastation and sorrow upon learning about the unexpected transition to eternity of a close buddy, a man of great substance, well-spoken, mild-mannered, humble soul, and above all, an intellectual par excellence.

Dear readers, my ageing fingers are trembling like a fired-up Concertina player fronting a salted ‘Boere Orkes’, as I am hammering the keyboard of my trusted companion (laptop), knitting words together paying tribute to my departed buddy Thomas ‘Striker’ Mabuku. 

Yours truly came to know Mabuku through his lodging at the ministry of sport and culture,and found him to be a kindhearted great man of integrity, and very passionate about his designated duties. Indeed, a great friendly dude, always wearing that trademark bright smile on his face. 

My broer, it was highly impossible to miss the sight of his shining white teeth that can only be found in toothbrush advertisements. 

Mabuku and I spent lots of great moments together during our countless escapades on foreign soil, engaging in conversations on how to take Namibian sport to the next level. A sharp-minded bloke, a man of few words, he lived and ate sport Mabuku was the epitome of a true perfectionist. 

As has become customary practice paying tributes to our unheralded sporting heroes and heroines, be it alive and posthumously, New Era Sport has a moral duty to acknowledge their unsaid contribution towards the overall development of sport in the land of their fore-parents.  It’s now our sincere pleasure to pay homage to this great son of the soil Mabuku in the most possible dignified fashion. May his gentle soul rest in ancestral power.

A schoolteacher by trade, Thomas Mabuku, famously known as ‘Striker’ amongst his vast circle of peers, started his amazing sporting journey as a vibrant sport coordinator in the vastly-populated Zambezi region under the Ministry of Education, a portfolio he held uninterruptedly between 1981 and 1989. 

His dedication and commitment did not go unnoticed, as he was elevated to the more senior position of regional sports coordinator in the entire Zambezi region. Mabuku played a pivotal role in the construction of the Katima Mulilo Sport Complex. 

In 1991, the hard-working sport administrator rose to prominence when the then portfolio minister Honorable Pendukeni Ithana appointed him as the regional sport officer in the Zambezi region. He was tasked to oversee various sport disciplines in an effort to enable all sport codes and athletes to compete on equal footing, representing the region with a certain measure of regional pride. 

The games of volleyball, karate and basketball made significant strides during his tenure at the helm. Mission accomplished, the calculated sport administrator changed gears, relocating to the city of bright lights (Windhoek) to further his academic aspirations at the revered University of Namibia (Unam). 

He successfully obtained a degree in business administration, whilst still in the employment of the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service. 

His designated functions included overseeing logistics for Namibia’s participation at high-profile international sport gatherings.

‘Striker’ has done plenty of unwritten good deeds for sport, and boasts an incredible, flawless resume that will put some of his more celebrated peers in the industry to shame. He spearheaded the smooth administration of several international games in the following sequence; Bulawayo Youth Games (Zimbabwe), 2014 Caf Women’s Championship (Namibia),  2016 Cosafa Regional Cup (Windhoek – Namibia), member of the negotiation delegation to Berlin, Germany for the well-attended 2013 Unesco Sport Conference, alongside Deputy Minister Hon. Juliet Kavetuna, Dry Vetumbuavi Veii and Vivienne Katjiuongua, in that order.  

The Berlin Convention ultimately paved the way for Namibia’s partnership with Germany in the areas of programmer exchange and advanced coaching courses enjoyed by many athletes and administrators up to the present day. 

In 2017, he was appointed Chief Administrator to shepherd the Namibia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board by then Minister of Sport Jerry Ekandjo. ‘Striker’ oversaw remarkable achievements by some of the country’s leading leather traders, certainly no mean feat.  

His immense contribution towards the overall development of sport was finally recognised when he was bestowed with the highest accolade in Namibian sport, the prestigious Lifetime Achiever Award during the 19th edition of the annual sport awards ceremony held at the coastal holiday hub Swakopmund in 2023. 

The much-adored sport guru officially retired in March 2020, but still remained intact, always ready to render much-needed support and advice whenever the need arose. He assisted many aspiring sport athletes in the unique Zambezi region to realise their long-held dreams of reaching the pinnacle of their unpolished raw sporting careers on a voluntary basis. 

Mabuku will be laid to rest at the Katima Mulilo Cemetery tomorrow morning. May his soul rest in eternal peace in one piece.