Maurice Kambukwe
WINDHOEK - Namibia’s senior netball team, affectionately known as the Desert Jewels, who were recently crowned 2019 M1 Nations Cup champions, were Monday rewarded by Namibian marine diamond mining company Debmarine for their outstanding achievement.
On Saturday, Namibia brushed aside a stubborn Singaporean side with a score line of 49-42 to lift the 2019 M1 Nations Cup in Singapore, which kicked off on 20 October and ended on Saturday. It marked Namibia’s maiden title upon their return to the competition, in which they last appeared in 2013.
At a welcoming ceremony on Monday in the capital, Debmarine Namibia’s chief executive officer Otto Shikongo showered praise on the newly crowned champions, saying their dedication and gallant performance was a true testimony of Namibia’s resolve to be counted amongst the best.
As a token of appreciation and recognition of the team’s success, Shikongo said Debmarine will give each player an ‘appreciation incentive’ of N$7 000, that’s in addition to the N$3 000 allowance which the company committed when the team left for the tournament.
“We at Debmarine Namibia are proud to have made it possible for our national team to participate in this championship, after six years of absence. The opportunity enabled us to unlock the sparkle in the Desert Jewels. We are in the business of making dreams a reality and look for opportunities that bring out the best in the youth in order to make life brilliant,” said an excited Shikongo.
“As a token of appreciation to the national team, Debmarine Namibia hereby commits to handover an appreciation incentive of N$7 000 to each player, this is in addition to the N$3 000 allowance committed before the team departed for Singapore. This means every player would have received a total of N$10 000. That’s also in addition to the half a million (N$500 000) sponsorship Debmarine gave to the team for participating fees, playing gear, flight tickets, accommodation and so forth,” he added.
Speaking at the same occasion, Desert Jewels captain Toetsie Tjihero, thanked Debmarine for sponsoring the team to make their appearance at the M1 Nations Cup a reality.
“Thank you for providing the financial assistance and sponsorship to make our participation at the M1 Nations Cup a reality, we hope this is a start of a long and fruitful journey. Without your love and encouragement, this journey would have been much more difficult. We appreciate your support. This is just the beginning of many more things to come,” added a delighted Tjihero.
Two years ago, Debmarine signed a three years sponsorship deal with Netball Namibia worth over N$1.8 million which was aimed at various netball development activities. They have also hosted several regional tournaments, and as well as training of umpires and coaches, all these is to ensure the sport is well promoted in all corners of the country.
Debmarine played a significant role in women sport, most specially netball. They have been of vital associate to netball team and netball as a whole for the past years. The diamond company has in the past injected huge amount of money to ensure the women are empowered through sport.