Born Siegfried !Haoseb on 21 January 1957, unlike many of his peers in the neighbourhood, Jossy enjoyed a decent childhood. 

The blue-eyed grandson of local entrepreneur, the late Siegfried ‘Hijamaraura’ !Haoseb Snr, Jossy was, by design, exempted from the usual daily hassling for basic survival. His old Fox ‘Hijamaraure was the proud owner of a fast-food outlet in addition to the makeshift corrugated iron compact Dance Hall adjacent to the Cafe. 

Every fortnight, the old Fox would invite Mbaqanga bands from the city of bright lights (Windhoek) to perform live music for revellers at the pocket-sized Hall. 

As it turned out, young Jossy was fascinated by the band’s appetising repertoire. He would calmly shift uninvited behind the skins (drums), doing his own thing. 

Jossy started demonstrating talent way beyond his young age to the extent that he manufactured his own drum set made up of five-litre empty paint containers, wrapped in discarded motor vehicles tubes to form a combination of snare, toms, bass drum and cymbals from discarded cool drink bottle caps tied to wire to complete the setup. 

In no time, the young boy with the baby face became a noted ‘skin beater’, occasionally jammed with the visiting bands, much to the delight of the appreciative local crowd. As they say, the rest is history. 

In the intervening years, he found refuge with the emerging Martin Luther High School youth pop band Ugly Creatures, reuniting with homeboys Axali Doeseb, Emile Keister, Japhta Noabeb, Doc Naobeb, and, in later years, Baby Doeseb, Elvis Afrikaner, and Heloi !Hoebeb. Jossy was the heartbeat of the band with his trademark rhythmic, unique style of navigating his way around the skins. 

In most cases, the limelight is on the lead vocalist, saxophone or lead guitar artists, but with the Ugly Creatures, the focus was on the skins (drums). Enthusiastic revellers made it their sole business to have their eyes firmly glued to the boy from Nau-Aib, brutalising the skins without shedding an ounce of sweat. 

In 1980, to be precise, some of the band’s prominent members resolved to take a sabbatical from live performances in a bid to further their academic aspirations beyond Namibian borders. 

Sadly, the band was obligated to close shop. Jossy and Creatures bandmate Theodor Keister teamed up with a few members from the Baronages pop band: Blare Camm, Klonkies May and ‘Dial’ Gouws to form the Weekend band. 

Jossy was the founding drummer of the Sigera Jazz Fusion band and had stints with several bands, including Mukoroib and the Swingers ballroom band. 

In recognition of his musical genius and accomplishments, Bro ‘Stix’ was deservedly conferred with the prestigious Lifetime Achiever Award during the annual Namibia Music Awards (NAMAS) ceremony alongside another musical icon, the late Zebulon Axueb Gomachab, in 2018. May their souls rest in eternal peace. Apart from his incredible, unmatched musical talent, Jossy was a phenomenal baller who started kicking around a football with the Nau-Aib outfit, Spoilers FC, at a very young age in his native town, Okahandja. A devastating forward and master dribbler operating on both flanks, a proven goal scorer of note, he could strike the ball well with both feet. There is an old saying that blood is thicker than water. 

Well, many might be aware that during the days of the puke-inducing divide and rule tactics enforced by the South African apartheid system, most, if not all, institutions were established along tribal lines. 

However, this did not stop the mixed-heritage flying winger from representing his paternal side. 

Convinced by morals , subsequently obligated by ancestral duty, Jossy turned out for the youthful Nau-Aib outfit Morokko City Stars, a predominantly Ovaherero speaking entity. Jossy rose to prominence when he was immediately placed in the starting line-up of the Cornelius Goreseb High School team upon his arrival in Khorixas, scoring goals effortlessly as if the art of goal-scoring was becoming outdated. 

Jossy was to be reunited with Spoilers teammates at Spoilers homeboys Japhta Noabeb and Doc Naobeb when he joined the Ugly Creatures pop band. 

Admittedly, his unquenchable love for live music performance drew his attention away from the beautiful game of football. 

We would be talking about one of the most accomplished forwards of his generation. 

A memorial service will be held in his native town, Okahandja, on 25 March, and in Windhoek on 2 April. 

His death follows shortly on the heels of another musical legend, former Iron Tears/Gypsies band lead guitarist Oscar Mudani Gariseb. 

A Benefit Concert will be held at the Moses van der. Byl School Sports Grounds in Katutura next week.