Zebaldt Ngaruka
OTJOMBINDE – Bethuel Ngajoo Mbuende, a former radio presenter, will contest as an independent candidate for the Otjombinde constituency in the upcoming Regional Council and Local Authorities elections slated for November.
In a recent interview with the New Era, Mbuende said it is now time to build the community and not have it all about picking for political purposes.
“I decided to throw my hat into the ring to become a constituency councillor because the community needs me,” he said.
“I am a community servant; I advocate for youth, elders, and senior citizens, and who am I to say no if they want me to continue serving them? As a pastor, I quoted Psalm 118, verse 22, the ‘Cornerstone’, and I didn’t have a choice, as the party had their person,” he said.
He also highlighted the water shortage and the need for solar-powered boreholes, a clinic, and a police station in both Helen and Okoutjove villages as immediate needs he is going to prioritise.
“These needs are high on my agenda. It is my passion and dream to empower our youth and elevate the marginalised,” he said.
The former Omurari FM broadcaster emphasised that he is going to make sure that everyone in Otjombinde, particularly the elderly community, is valued, respected, and appreciated.
Despite being a pastor and broadcaster, Mbuende is a well-known professional football coach instructor, and he promised to utilise all social developmental skills he gained to uplift the constituency.
While food security is imperative for the have-nots in the area, the independent candidate said he will put more effort into the gardening aspect of agriculture.
“As a former athlete and international football player for Namibia, I will make sure that a football team from Otjombinde joins the country’s elite league, the premier league,” he bragged smilingly.
The Okapendje village resident is arguably one of the most accomplished but less talked-about central defenders of his generation and featured in Gobabis’ Maroon Brothers FC before departing to Botswana Police Eleven.
Back home, he played for glamour clubs such as African Stars, Blue Waters, Tigers FC and Brave Warriors.
Mbuende, famously known as ‘Rasta’ in football circles, was a typical modern-day centre-back, never afraid to launch attacks from the back.
“I was also involved in coaching young football players from the Omaheke region who participated in the Belgian competition on many occasions,” he recalled.