A product of the revered Swakopmund High School located on the banks of the gigantic Atlantic Ocean, Helmut Semel Horstempke started playing competitive football for the school’s senior football team demonstrating talent and maturity way belying his tender age.
Horstempke was your typical modern-day box-to-box midfielder, possessing great technique on and off the ball. He might not have been the fastest of athletes but his vision and awareness stood him good. A brilliant ball passer who could open tight defences with one magical moment of brilliance via his trademark defence-splitting passes.
He represented his motherland at a provincial level in the hotly contested South African Inter-Provincial Youth Tournaments in neighbouring South Africa in addition to featuring for the senior Provincial side in the prestigious Currie Cup Tournament In 1980.
Upon completing his secondary education at the coastal town, his next stop was across the Orange River, South Africa to further his academic aspirations.
His football career took a dramatic turn when the shy boy from South West Africa (SWA – Namibia) found refuge with Rygersdal Football Club in the Western Cape.
He cemented himself as a vital cog in the squad forming the spine of the team pulling the strings in the middle of the park. His next stop was Namibia’s commercial hub (Windhoek)
Horstempke was not short of suitors as he was snapped up by ambitious Pionierspark outfit Ramblers Football Club, succeeding ageing midfielder Werner ‘Saxy’ Sasse.
Admittedly, filling the boot boots of Sasse was not going to be a walk in the park for the rookie midfielder but Semel was equal to the task fitting in the Rammies’ playing system like a glove in hand.
A phenomenal game reader, great positioning, solid in tackles Horstempke was a complete package who could effortlessly transform in to any role on the playing field depending on the pattern of the game. Lest we forget, Semel packed a decent shot in both feet and could strike the ball fairly well from range.
His coolness, confidence, brilliant first touch and ability to bring the best out of his teammates made him an outright fan favorite amongst the usually hard to please vociferous ‘Blue Army’ (Ramblers diehards).
His near faultless performance for the Tunschell Street Boys did not go unnoticed as he was deservedly called up to the South West Africa (SWA) Provincial team to represent his native land at the annual South African Inter-Provincial Currie Cup Tournament in East London, South Africa in 1980.
Eight years down the line, he spearheaded the Ramblers touring entourage to West Germany (Deutschland) for a series of exhibition matches against local amateur clubs n the land of his forefathers.
Upon retiring from playing competitive league football, he turned his attention to social football with the Ramblers Old Boys. Here he was reunited with familiar faces and former teammates; Karl-Heinz Steinfurth (Steini’), Kenny Smith, Andy Alfheim, Siggi ‘Corky’ Horstempke, Jeff Luck, Richard Wahl, Jeff Marting, and few others.
All the work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, he loves and live football as can be attested by his unwavering commitment towards the overall development of the game at grassroots level.
Nowadays, a successful commercial farmer breeding livestock around the Otjinene district in the vastly populated Omaheke region, the now retired kindhearted midfielder has constructed a standard football field on his farm accommodating farm laborers and their offspring to master the art of the beautiful game.