Simon Mogane 1932-2025 

A giant has fallen. Just the mere sight of Simon Mogane was enough to send shivers running riot in the bellies of opponents at the Katutura stadium turfed pitch. Founder of Katutura fallen giants Black Africa (BA) Football Club, Uncle Si has left deep tracks in the annals of domestic football. 

Back in the day, BA always came out tops in most of the hotly contested battles against cross-location bitter rivals African Stars. Interestingly, even though Uncle Si was no longer actively playing competitive football, his presence lifted the team’s spirit, boosting their confidence, ultimately giving the boys the upper hand before the whistle went off. 

The streetwise Uncl e Si somehow fashioned a physiological ritual ‘gimmick’, walking in slow motion across the field before kick-off, much to the chagrin of agitated Reds supporters. The ‘Red Army’ adopted a dangerously mistaken belief that the old ‘Fox’ was secretly administering some sort of illegal substance (muti) on the playing turf to neutralise the opponent. Uncle Simon Mogane, was the biological old man of prominent retired attacking midfielder-cum Brave Warriors coach Rusten Mogane. The streetwise South African migrant arrived in apartheid South West Africa (SWA) in the mid-50s as a trained bricklayer to construct the much-despised ‘match box’ houses in Katutura location. 

He teamed up with fellow South African migrant workers to form Black Africa in 1964. The new kid on the block recruited a significant number of gifted youngsters from the revered St. Joseph’s Secondary School (Dobra), located north-east of Windhoek. As they say, the rest is history. 

He came, saw and conquered Namibian football. The easy-going nontribal Gemengde residents and the general public will never be the same again. Instead of getting emotional and devastated, let us rather celebrate the memorable times we have shared with this great man of substance, ‘Uncle Si’. Hamba Khahle M’fowethu. 

Great talent has gone to waste! 

RIP – Simon Kgobetsi 1962-2025 

Death has robbed Namibia of one of the most promising footballers of his generation, Simon Kgobetsi. The Augustineum Secondary School and Eastern Jumpers FC protégé has taken a bow from the game of life after losing a marathon battle against the deadly ailment diabetes. 

The much-travelled, highly gifted former South African Inter-Provincial attacker enjoyed successful brief spells with north-east giants Rundu Chiefs and Arandis outfit Computer Stars, respectively, at different intervals. 

His death has sent shockwaves through the football-loving local community. To rub salt to the wound, another prominent ‘footie’ former Brave Warriors and African Stars attacking midfielder Martin John Muhekeni has accompanied Kgobetsi and the old ‘Fox’ Mogane to heaven. 

May their combined soul rest in eternal peace in one piece. 

An extremely dangerous, tricky customer to deal with, Kgobetsi was certainly destined for greatness during his introduction to competitive football, donning the orange and white stripes of Eastern Jumpers FC, famously known as ‘Batswana ba Namibia’ in social circles. 

The skilful attacking midfielder was the heartbeat of Jumpers’ smooth sailing engine room, effortlessly pulling the strings in the middle of the park for the Gemengde-based outfit and certainly looked destined to become a household name in the foreseeable future. However, uncool off-field distractions curtailed his progress, as Kgobetsi never really reached the potential demonstrated during his early days on the football pitch. 

While some of his celebrated teammates in the star-studded Augustineum Secondary School senior side, Dan-Boy Ndjadila, Packs Uushona, Forra Nicodemus, Muuaa Siririka and Costa Lucas all went on to establish themselves as notable athletes on the big stage. Kgobetsi’s promising career hit a brick wall, as he never really lived up to expectations to fulfil his full potential. 

He will be best remembered for his mysterious disappearance from the training camp the night before the SWA Provincial under-20 youth team was due to travel down under across the Orange River, Cape Town, South Africa, for the South African Inter-Provincial Youth Cup Tourney in 1984. 

RIP – Martin John ‘Shosholo’ Muhekeni 1964-2025 

Just shortly after Namibia attained its long-awaited freedom from the merciless jaws of the South African apartheid regime in 1990, Katutura glamour football club African Stars went on an aggressive recruitment campaign. 

The ambitious club signed players from other parts of the country and far afield from Zambia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The likes of Abidas Bwalya, Alfredo Luzollo and Domingo Martin were brought on board to boost the revamped squad under the stewardship of Zimbabwean mentor Shepherd Murape. 

One of the new arrivals was an unknown attacker going by the name of Martin John Muhekeni, famously known as ‘Shosholo’ in social circles. Upon returning home from exile in 1990, the latter played for his hometown team, Dynamos, in Grootfontein. 

He later joined the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) team. Muhekeni announced his arrival in domestic football with jaw-dropping, magical moments in exhibition matches for the men in camouflaged uniforms. 

Tellingly, alert Reds’ talent scouts took note of the untapped gem. Without hesitation, they pounced on the returnee. Stars managed to convince the strongly built, tallish boy from Omulunga location to join forces with Starlile. 

The lanky attacker was subsequently called up for the emerging Brave Warriors side, where he cemented himself in the team’s repertoire as a much-valued squad member for the amazing ‘Class of 98’. 

Former Reds teammate Richard Kamberipa, who coincidentally bumped into the departed attacker a fortnight ago, describes Muhekeni as a very intelligent baller. 

Utterly shocked and devastated, we met at Agra recently, revisiting the good old days. 

He enthusiastically suggested a come-together for the lads at his farm in the near future. Unfortunately, a tight work schedule derailed his progress, accelerating his premature departure from playing competitive football at the highest level. 

Nonetheless, the calculated midfielder will go down in history as one of the finest talents to have emerged from Grootfontein. 

Muhekeni should be in the same conversation as the great Orlando Damaseb, George Nawatiseb, Judah Kazonganga, Pieces Damaseb, Richo and Tiger Francis, Ruru Naobeb, Lazza Auchumeb, Curtis Tjizepa, Pele and Steven Damaseb, Boeta Mungunda, Bernard Neumann, Tena Mwashekele, Nico Andima and Da Costa Angula in that sequence. 

Sadly, the much-adored Republic of Cuba trainee-cum-retired-attacker has transitioned to eternity via a horrific car accident that claimed his precious life instantly. 

Muhekeni was travelling to his resettled commercial farm in the Omitara/Summerdown district.