How long have you been a sports journalist?
For seven years, I worked as a radio presenter at Fresh FM, doing a show called The Fresh Ingredient (TFI), where I reported on sports around the globe. Since 2014, I have switched from broadcast to writing for print and radio as a sports journalist for the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa). I have been in the industry for 16 years.
Could you share with us your journey as a sports journalist in Namibia?
I studied radio production at the College of the Arts. During my studies, I went for auditions at Fresh FM – and upon getting a slot at the station as a weekend presenter, I ended up doing a three-hour sports show that focused on weekend sporting activities.
Could you describe one of your most memorable experiences while reporting on a sports event?
My most memorable sporting event was the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. We won a gold medal, and it was so amazing to hear the Namibian national anthem on the intercoms of such a big stadium that was packed to capacity.
What specific challenges have you faced as a sports journalist in Namibia, and how did you overcome them?
When I took on the job as a journalist, I knew what to expect – but in Namibia, we don’t have challenges. We just have interesting individuals who want to be recognised for being unnecessary with journalists. In 2010, I attended a short course in the Netherlands, where I learned that Namibian journalists don’t have challenges; we just have individuals who are unnecessary. I had colleagues in the same course who received death threats daily in their countries because of the stories they covered.
Could you tell us about your football player journey and how it influenced your perspective as a sports journalist?
During my school days, I managed to play for Young Chiefs, which is a feeder team for Rundu Chiefs. I also managed to become the number one goalkeeper for the U/20 Kavango Region Football team for two years. Playing football made me have patience, especially when trying to get information from people who want their egos stroked while you are on deadline.
How do you think your experience on the field has shaped your approach to reporting on sports events and athletes?
As a sportsman, I understood what it takes for one to achieve something in their career and the amount of work that one needs. So, when doing my stories, I usually think of the pros and cons that athletes, coaches or administrators go through.
You work with athletes with disabilities. Can you share your motivation behind this and how you got involved in this aspect of sports journalism?
In 2013, I followed my good friend, Hector Mawonga, a sports journalist, to his interview with Michael Hamukwaya (now the secretary general of the Namibia Paralympic Committee). After that interview, I saw the need to work closely with Hector as he covered their events, and that bug got stuck in me when I joined Nampa in 2014. Hector told Hamukwaya to work closely with me, as my reports would be carried by most media houses.
What are some of the main challenges you face as a sports journalist while covering adaptive sports, and how do you ensure their stories receive the attention they deserve?
I won’t call it a challenge. I have learned so much from working with athletes with disabilities. In 2015, while covering the African Games in Congo-Brazzaville, I worked closely with Memory Kahlari, a volunteer at the NPC at the time. She made me understand how the athletes work and the effort they put in, and I just grew to love and respect them.
How do you adapt your reporting style and stay relevant in today’s digital age?
At international competitions, I make a lot of friends whom I keep learning from, and I then apply that at home. One good thing is also for media houses at home to start exposing their reporters to international events, as I learned a lot from the International Paralympic Committee Competitions on how they do things or report on their activities.
Can you share a story of how you managed to deliver a compelling report under high pressure and a tight deadline?
I once wrote a story of senior officials who were travelling for a competition and were paid travel and subsistence allowance while athletes were not rewarded for their achievements for two years, and the money paid was enough to cover those rewards. I just asked a simple question, ‘Why not attend the meeting on Zoom and then reward athletes?’ I was ordered by my CEO to go to those officials’ offices to apologise or kill the story, but I never did. Luckily, my sub-editors let the story through before it could have been withdrawn.
How do you build relationships and gain trust with your sources, especially in a competitive industry like sports journalism?
I cover a lot of activities, and the good part is that in Namibia, we are friendly people. So, when you interact with someone for a long time, you become friends, which makes it easier for me, as a journalist, to do my stories.
What unique challenges and opportunities do you encounter as a sports journalist in Namibia?
We have resources in Namibia; they’re just mismanaged. We are even better off than some developed countries.
What are some essential skills you believe every aspiring sports journalist should develop to succeed in the field?
Patience, hard work, listening and learning all the time, as well as adapting to change. When I transitioned from radio to writing, I learned a lot from Hector, Sheefeni Nicodemus and the best sports photographer this country has, in my opinion, Helge Schutz.
Can you share a specific story of an athlete with a disability, whose journey has left a lasting impact on you as a sports journalist?
The first time I did an interview with Ananias Shikongo while he was preparing for a championship, I just went to the field to interview him about how the preparation was and what his goals were. He then asked me, “Do you know who my competitors are?”
By then, I knew none of them. He then said, in the future, if you want to know what I am preparing for, first study whom I am running against and what times they are running – and then you will have a better understanding of how much hard work I must put in to win a medal. From that day until today, I made it my job to know every para-athlete competing in the same category as Namibian athletes. That advice made Ananias and myself friends, as I kept on learning from that wise man at any given opportunity.
How does the sports community in Namibia, including fans and organisations, embrace athletes with disabilities?
When one thinks of athletes with disabilities, they don’t understand what they go through to win a medal. I once had to stop a senior journalist from their backward thinking of athletes with disabilities running slow
times.
An athlete like Ananias, as well as the current world record holder Athanasios Ghavelas
of Greece, runs 10.82 seconds while blindfolded. In the T46/47 category, where Bradley Murere competes, you have the Brazilian Paralympics Champion and world champion Petrucio Ferreira, who clocks 10.28 seconds in the 100m. Our able-bodied athletes struggle to run at such times. So many Namibians don’t understand how amazing these athletes with disabilities are.
Is sports journalism a rewarding and fulfilling career to pursue in Namibia?
Since moving from radio to print, I have enjoyed sports journalism. I have covered competitions like CHAN, COSAFA, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympic Games, the World Para Athletics Championships, the African Games, the Region 5 Games and the Special Olympics World Games. These are motivations for me to continue learning from others, which, in the end, makes it worth it. Seating on the touchline every day makes me want to continue giving my best.
What are the responsibilities of a sports journalist beyond reporting on scores and events?
Many times, we do stories on communities that are affected or on federations or athletes that are not being treated well.
In this country, we have administrators who have been doing wrong things for decades, and it seems normal to them now. When one reports on such issues, you start encroaching on their territories, and they start asking, in whose pocket are you? That does not stop me from doing my job or getting the information I want.
Where do you want to see yourself in 10-15 years?
I would love to be running my own logistics company while at the same time having a photography website where all these beautiful images will be displayed.