WINDHOEK – Sheer luck might have been dodging him to find a permanent home in the professional ranks, but there is no question about his playing ability.
Brave Warriors’ creative attacking midfielder Petrus “Dancing Shoes” Shitembi, is without a shadow of doubt currently Namibia’s most gifted footballer.
Having started his flourishing football career at boyhood team Rundu Chiefs, “Shoes” rose to prominence when he signed his first professional contract with South Africa, Premiership outfit University of Pretoria {Amatuks} before shifting allegiance to Amazulu.
The much travelled playmaker also enjoyed successful short stints with Stellenbosch FC (Stellies), Ghanaian giants Ashanti Gold, Lusaka Dynamos {Zambia}.
A valuable squad member of the victorious Brave Warriors Cosafa Cup champions in 2015, “Shoes” also played for Tura Magic in his native land’s flagship football league.
He was doubtlessly one of the most outstanding performers at Namibia’s winless campaign at this year’s Caf Cup in Egypt this year, despite Namibia exiting the biannual continental showpiece in the group stages on their third assault.
A well-spoken modest young fellow of decent upbringing, “Shoes” is very much aware that football is a fairly short career and has wisely stretched his eyes beyond his playing days.
On Saturday, “Shoes” rewrote the history books when he launched his new company Shitembi Investment cc during a well-attended press conference at the Sport Bar auditorium in Triple Jay, south of Namibia’s commercial capital Windhoek.
The Dancing Shoes project’s aim is to develop a strategic plan through entrepreneurship to make a meaningful contribution towards the national economy through various partnerships to assist and develop confidence amongst the youth residing in informal settlements.
“Our brand values the proposition of incubating youths to earn a decent income and acquire skills while on training money and on the sporting segment, we are going to conduct brand building initiatives at sport related gatherings,” explained “Shoes”.
The launch was graced by the “who’s who” in domestic football circles, including football guru Isack Hamata and incumbent director of sport in the portfolio ministry and Shitembi’s homeboy Sivhute Katamba.
The latter was the keynote speaker and minces no words as he emphasized the importance of sport. “It’s a well-documented secret that sport represents a billion dollar business project but many people might not realize the immensely positive impact it has on local economies, notably through the hosting of competitions and tourism.
“To give you a good example, let us look at the annual Namibian Newspaper Youth Cup, one of the best sport initiatives created to support sport development and talent identification. Vendors, SMEs and large retail stores are benefitting from increasing sales while bread becomes a rare commodity on the shelves during these youth tournaments,” said Katamba
Furthermore, Katamba charged that government is looking at tabling a proposal for the introduction of a pension fund for professional athletes including sportsmen and women who have represented their motherland with distinction, pride and dignity over the years.
He added that opportunities should be created for retired athletes to find employment in the same industry in different capacities.
In conclusion, the former Rundu Chiefs FC agile net guard urged the private sector to support initiatives presented by local athletes through their foundations in an effort to contribute to the overall development of the economy and also expressed gratitude towards those companies that have teamed up with the Petrus Shitembi Foundation for a good cause.