Former Eleven Arrows and Blue Waters football clubs’ sharpshooter, Pule Tjombe is among a rare breed of footies to have worn both the gold-and-maroon strip of Arrows and Blue Waters’ foam and navy attire at different levels. History shows that Arrows was born out of Blue Waters after a significant chunk of Omeya’s finest players vacated the smooth-sailing Waters’ yacht to form Eleven Arrows in 1961.
The likes of Tommy Uushona, Gabes “Flying Fish” Mupupa, Heinrich Horongo Haufiku, Lameck Spook, and in later years Lukas “Etenda” Hipondoka, Tarah Shimbulu, also found refuge with Arrows while Ringo Nakanuku, Pari Shekupe, Shaya Mwelasi, Nicodemus Cruyff Kudulu, Don Renzke, Lucky Shipanga, Ephraim Mdota Martin-Shozi, Mokanya Gottlieb, Koos Muaine, Jasehn “Khumalo” Petrus, also switched allegiance. The much-travelled pocket-size flying left winger enjoyed stellar stints with the Kuisebmond sides. However, it was at Katutura glamour football club “Starlile”, as African Stars is fondly known among its ardent fans, where he rose to prominence. Young Tjombe announced his arrival with an avalanche of breathtaking match-winning goals from range. His canon-like shots left many seasoned goalkeepers clutching at thin air. A proven goal scorer, the boy from the Cattle Country will doubtlessly go down in history as an African Stars club legend.
Back in the day, natural left-footed footballers were a rare commodity in the country’s top-flight football league.
Gideon Pule Tjombe was among the very few decent left-footed wingers and can be proudly thrown into the same conversation as the undermentioned greats: Kleintjie Gaseb, Wolfgang Fleischhammel, Gawarib Uirib, George Martin, Britho Shipanga, Boni Paulino, Kaputji Kuhanga, #Nerab Gariseb, Theu Amadhila, Norries Goraseb, Davey Majiedt, and dozens others.
Born in the Cattle Country (Gobabis), young Pule was introduced to the game of football at a very young age, operating as a ball boy for his childhood team Sunshine Football Club.
“I grew up watching older players such as my brother-in-law, the late George Katjiuongua, Manii and Kulu Tjituka, Kaofi Kanguvi, Corrie Tjaveondja, Samuel Kandjii, Piet Swarts, Kaume Katjipuka, and others battle it out on the gravel football field,” recalls the now-retired sharpshooter.
Football was very competitive in Gobabis those days, with teams such as Epako Pirates, Eastern Chiefs, Rollers, Sunshine, Blue Eagles, Maroon Brothers, Golden Stars and Nossobville outfit East Ham all riding the crest of a wave.
Admittedly, the emerging forward never lived his dream of playing for the Epako outfit as he kick-started his football career with Desert Rollers – a predominantly Batswana ba Namibia-dominated entity.
Some of his celebrated teammates were Paulus Hailonga, Festus Ueitele, Lefa Katjiua, Regrettably, by this time, boyhood Sunshine had ceased to exist.
The left-footed starlet began his elementary tuition at the township’s native school for Bantus before he was relocated to the coastal harbour town of Walvis Bay. It was while settling in at the seaside town that he was introduced to organised football after he joined local giants Eleven Arrows.
Like many youngsters, Pule started out in the second strings alongside other highly-gifted youngsters spearheaded by Nghenny Emvula, Dahle Mutilifa, Koos Muaine and Bobby Samaria.
“We had a very strong team of talented youngsters that made a serious statement in the popular knockout cup tournaments. Sometimes Arrows’ second strings would compete fiercely in the tourneys, only to face our senior team in the final.
“To compound matters, the senior guys would beg us cap in hand not to embarrass them as they were our superiors. In my entire football career, I have never played for second teams. The only reason why I started out in the Arrows second team was because NSSL had a clause in its constitution prohibiting players under the age of 16 to be registered as first-team players,” Tjombe said.
It was not long before the boy with the devastating left foot was elevated to the first team, along with other deserving young boys in the shape of Julius Sono Shivute, Immanuel Mokanya Gottlieb, Mutilifa, Samaria, and Koos Muaine.
Pule found himself rubbing shoulders with established squad members shepherded by tireless midfield kingpin Ben Gonteb, Sadike Gottlieb, Tarah Shimbulu, Lawrence Kiki Gaseb, and stylish South African import Sheya Mwelasi, among a galaxy of stars.
After some eye-catching displays for the gold-and-maroon strip outfit, Arrows’ bitter rivals Blue Waters came knocking on the door for his signature, and the boy from the Cattle Country did not need a second invitation as he hurriedly vacated the Arrows camp to find refuge in the Blue Birds nest.
Well, there is an old saying that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. The young speedy winger got paid back in his own coin when his new employers Blue Waters booked a date with his former team Arrows in the final of the JPS Knockout Trophy in a live televised match at the packed to-rafters Kuisebmond stadium, Walvis-Bay in 1988.
Arrows won the exciting tie 4-2 on penalties after a two-all stalemate.
However, Tjombe had the last laugh after he won the coveted national league title with the Birds under the stewardship of Zimbabwean mentor Shepherd Murape. Surprisingly, the boy from the Cattle Country made a quick retreat to Arrows before jumping ship, only to resurface in the city of bright lights (Windhoek).
Katutura glamour football club African Stars was his next destination. His arrival at Starlile coincided with the departure of club stalwart Immanuel Kamuserandu.
Stepping in the footsteps of a club legend was not going to be a walk in the park, but the pocket-size boy from the Cattle Country surprised friend and foe by dishing out some heart-warming displays down the left wing whilst scoring breathtaking match-winning goals for his new club.
His goals helped Stars survive relegation at the dawn of Namibia’s democracy in 1990. He went on to cement himself as a hero with the Reds, and represented his motherland in the Caf Club Championship against Democratic Republic of the Congo outfit Bongo Sport in front of 80 000 fans in Bunju Mayi in 1994.
Tjombe won several high-profile knockout cup tournaments with the Reds that included the coveted Castle Classic, Metropolitan, Holsten Cups, including runner-up spots.
Regrettably, his promising football career was brought to a premature halt after he was posted to the north with work assignments, but Stars stood firm declining his request to be released so that he could play for Oshakati City.
He was selected for trials to the national youth team but lack of proper communication between club officials denied him the opportunity to represent his motherland at youth level.
Nonetheless, the slippery winger was thrown another lifeline when he was included in the Namibian Shadow team against the visiting Russian giants Spartak Moscow to celebrate Namibia’s independence in 1990. Tellingly, he was nowhere to be found on match day.