John Ekongo (Guest Columnist)
TODAY, the Kuisebmond suburb is in deep mourning and drenched in tears of undeniable pain, as a prodigal son returns home for a final send-off; a sad one indeed.
Jasenh Petrus, affectionally known as Khumalo by his peers in football circles, was a gifted footballer with a skilled left foot that was an envy of all his footballing mates. Like many of his peers, he honed his skills playing “after squad” and street soccer, which when we were growing up was abound around the Kuisebmond, suburbs.
Such was the passion of football in Kuisebmond, that as pre-teens and teenagers, we would play for local organised neighbourhood teams. Notorious of these teams were Namene Squad, Young Tigers, Nuwe Huise, Sea Point, Try Again and Containers Span, among others.
These impromptu footballing shenanigans would often become the springboard towards professional contracts and absorption for many of us and Jasenh was an obvious, given that Blue Waters FC would be his abode. But first, he had to earn his stripes in the colours of Blue Birds – a feeder team of Blue Waters, as well as cross town rivals Eleven Arrows.
It is maybe by cruel fate that he was not a regular in many starting elevens of the Brave Warriors, but the one opportunity he got in May of 2004 when Brave Warriors played Angola during the Cosafa Cup at the Estadio Da Cidadela in Luanda, he scored an unbelievable volley and back at home in Walvis Bay, the whole community erupted in joy for one of their own.
The late great Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy once said that death can never be the end. Death is the road. Life is the traveller. The soul is the guide. Our fate held close within his quiet hands. Death bows his head and weeps. Delight permeates all of today. Life is flowing like nectar. In life, there is death; in death there is life.
Indeed, life is not certain; it is given by the Almighty at whose behest our presence on this earth is determined only by his discretion when our time has come for us to depart. Khumalo, turn left Sir, fare thee well, homeboy, let your soul rest easy and peaceful.
To the entire family and residents of my hometown Walvis Bay, cometh Saturday (tomorrow) we mourn the loss, we feel the void, but we find solace in the knowledge that the Lord has made his decision. Let’s stand guard as we take our beloved brother home to his final resting place, the Kuisebmond Cemetery. Vululukwa nombili Shimati!