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Home / In conversation with Dan-Boy Ndjadila…the coastal Blue Bird

In conversation with Dan-Boy Ndjadila…the coastal Blue Bird

2020-11-27  Carlos Kambaekwa

In conversation with Dan-Boy Ndjadila…the coastal Blue Bird

Coastal giants Blue Waters Football Club will go down in history as one of the most exciting football playing to have ever played the beautiful game of football in our midst. Omeya  will be best remembered for their extra ordinary attractive brand of carpet football since the club›s inception during the hotly contested knockout cup tournament, staged across the country under difficult conditions.  Without a shadow of doubt, the Birds have produced a significant number of amazing footballers in the shape of Bernard Da Costa Phillemon, Lawrence «Zondi» Amathila, Lemmy Lazarus, Ranga Lucas, Titus «Om Tite» Shilongo, Jerry Shikongo, Mathew Amathila and many others. Statistics shows that the seasiders dominated domestic football for many years....winning several silverware, including the coveted league title. However, the generation of youngsters recruited from the revered Augustineum Secondary School in Windhoek, was considered by many as the real deal. 

Spearheaded by the sextet of Britho Shipanga, Leo Koutondokwa, Koko Muatunga, Costa Lucas, Enos Petrus, Shopii Shekupe, all noted athletes in their own right «Omeya» were unstoppable, but none other than young attacking midfielder, going by the name of Dan-Boy Ndjadila, captured the imagination of the neutral fan.
In today›s publication of your favourite weekly sport feature Tales of the Legends, New Era Sport takes a closer look at the multi talented silky midfielder›s amazing football journey.

 

He was born on the 25th May 1967 in the Namibian leading harbour Walvis Bay alongside nine siblings in the following sequence; Boy-Boy, Sara, Juffie, Vangy, Chito, Laban, Clau, Jones and Fwafu.
Dan-Boy grew up in his hometown before relocating to the city of bright lights (Windhoek) to further his education at the revered Augustineum Secondary School in 1982.
Back in Walvis-Bay, he grew up with boyhood buddies Costa Lukas, Koko Muatunga, Patrick Isaacks, Mabelle Nehoya, Harari Nehoya and Richard Nengushe.

Like many other boys their age, they were football crazy and would kick a football at the slightest provocation. Dan-Boy started with Young Blue Waters alongside the likes of Webster Kutsi Shafombabi, Setho Uwanga, Corossa Kayele, Boom Luanda, Dingaan Pineas, Pieta and Pineas Hangula, Temba Mangani, Simson Uirab, Ernst Otta, Absaso Namaseb and Erassie Haikali amongst others.

He would become blood brothers with Temba Nghitaunapo, Gary Sales, Wolfie Henckert, Kumi Umati, Isaac Brown Amuenye and Sagaria Hangula in the intervening years.
By some distance the most talented footballer of his generation, Dan-Boy was duly selected the South West Africa (SWA) Provincial Under-16 football team in only his 2nd year as a student.  
“We were the only team to compete in the Currie Cup A-section, whereas others before us featured in the less glamorous B-section,” recalls Dan-Boy.

Some of his celebrated teammates in the team were; Mark Kutzner, Michael Baas, Frankie Fredericks, Sandro de Gouiveia, Stefanus Katjivena, Steve Imongwa and Zimbo Kgobetsi.
Prior to his selection for the Johannesburg safari, Dan-Boy was a regular starter with Omeya’s second strings, but upon his return, he was drafted straight into the Birds first team and as they say, the rest is history. 
He became the toast of the Birds’ staunch supporters and was entrusted with the duty of dispatching spot kicks. After four seasons with his boyhood team, Dan-Boy developed itchy feet and vacated the Birds nest.....only to resurface at exciting Khomasdal outfit Young Ones FC. 

He was to spend seven years with the “Kings at Night” playing alongside great footballers in the Young Ones engine room and won several major cup tourneys. His next stop was Donkerhoek outfit Tigers, saving Ingwe from the jaws of relegation as the team escaped the dreaded axe by the skin of their teeth. 
After just one season in the blue and white strip of Ingwe, the seasider was elevated to the position of head coach in 1992. Ha also coached Nomtsoub outfit Benfica to promotion to the elite league.

In 1994, he tied the knot with his longtime high school gorgeous lass Julia Amwenye, who bore him a pair of sons Harry and Dexter. The latter currently lives in Johannesburg while elder brother Harry works in Cape Town.
“I’m truly blessed to have played football and make friends with people from all walks of life such as Andre Alcock, Lance Willemse, Juku Tjazuko, Bernard Neumann, Nico Hindjou, Oscar Mengo, the Tjihero brothers, Indies Damaseb, Dawid Snewe, Lucky Richter, Brian Isaacs, Wolfie Henckert, Joe Shaduka, Shipanga brothers Bazooka and Wire...... Eish... the list is endless.”

He won several accolades during his high school days that saw him being installed as Prefect in 1984 whilst doing grade 11 and 12. He was also bestowed with both the school first team and hostel side Golden Bees’ captain armband. Better still, he also skippered the star-studded SWA Provincial schools U/20 football team.
Apart from his exploits on the football pitch, the midfield genius was equally a beast on the athletic track, excelling in both the 100 & 200 meter short sprints. 

His genes dictated that he would be a great athlete, following in the footsteps of big brother Boy-Boy, sisters Juffie and Clau (netball). Younger brother Laban played for the SWA U/16 side alongside Bobby Samaria and Eric Quest while sisters Chito and Vangy were also formidable athletes in the field events (long jump).
Dan-Boy went onto become one of the first black Sport Editors in 1988, having started his trade as a pen pusher with Die Republikein before moving to the Times of Namibia. “The likes of Boet Matthews and Carlos Kambaekua learned from me,” he brags tongue in cheek.

When Swapo returned from exile in 1989, the late Dan Tjongarero convinced him to jump ship and become Sport Editor of Namibia Today, making him the first person to write sport articles for Swapo in democratic Namibia.
He was also the youngest executive member of the Namibia topflight league in 1992, alongside veteran football administrator Paul Hiskia, Five Hochobeb, Steve Stephanus, Alfeus Gaweseb, Hendrik Christiaan, Robert Mupiri and Chrissie de Klerk.

“Many of my classmates and teammates went onto carve professional careers academically, Mark Kutzner (lawyer) and High Court Judge Nate Ndawendapo. “One of my biggest regrets is that I did not fulfill my academic aspirations of becoming a lawyer because I know for sure I could have achieved my dream, but football was my life and got the better of me.”

Nonetheless, rubbing shoulders with noted academics Harald Murangi (Namcol), Pecka Semba (regional Manager (Namcol), Tjekero Tweya, Obed Kandjoze (both ex ministers) and Laban Shidute (school principal) the first intakes at the then Academy in 1986 (Unam) lifted his spirits. 
He was pursuing a High Diploma in Education, which his lovely mother Kaupuua Ndjadila paid for from her meagre savings. “I kept this idea very dearly to my life, but couldn’t finish, but anyway, I’m somehow glad that I didn’t complete the course because teaching was certainly not tailored for me.”

After dropping out of college, Dan-Boy found himself a slave at giant Oil suppliers Shell in 1990. He later managed to attain a Higher Level Diploma in Marketing while working for the oil companies. 
After 13 years of uninterrupted service, he went solo and became a noted businessman in Otjiwarongo where he currently resides. He was the sole owner of Shell Service Station for ten years, before retreating to Walvis-Bay to take up the reins at BP for one year. 

Next stop was Kalkfeld, manning the Shell Service Station for five-years and is now the proud owner of 
Namcor DJ Truckport in Otjiwarongo, which recently opened its doors for business.
A staunch Arsenal supporter, Dan-Boy holds former Gunners lethal goal poacher Ian Wright, nowadays a TV pundit and Cyrille Regis in high esteem and named his son Regis (Regis Harry). His all time favorite footballer is homeboy Matatias “Koko” Muatunga, aka “Toordokter”. 

“My wish is for every Namibian to benefit from the resources of the country irrespective who or what you are. I hope to play a big part in this, hence I’m employing more than 35 workers at my service station.”
The business of Service Stations runs high in the blood veins of the Ndjadila clan, Dan-Boy’s old man owned the first Puma service station in Walvis-Bay before he sold. The old man has since retired and relocated to the north where he currently lives peacefully, enjoying the final stretch of his precious life journey having shattered the centenary mark. 
 


2020-11-27  Carlos Kambaekwa

Tags: Khomas
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