Back in the day, if you were not a fully recognised resident of ‘Tize’ (Windhoek), or accredited ‘Baainaar’ (Walvis-Bay), one will be brutally enveloped in the category of ‘Moegoes’, which is someone in dire need of refinement to perfectly tie in with the ‘Kasi’ style. 

Additionally, one was strictly required to be flawlessly fluent in Afrikaans and ‘Tsotsie Taal’ (Township slang), ‘Kasi’ lingo, wear stylish ‘Juvies’ (pair of bell button trousers), complemented by a well-polished Crocket & Jones pair of ‘Ratoez’ (shoes).   

Eish… even though Bro ‘Johnny-Wambu’ did not exactly fit the bill, his football prowess was enough to earn him a smooth entry into the traditionally hostile reception for newcomers, notably those arriving from outside the the city of bright lights (Windhoek). 

As was customary practice, almost every club had cliques in its ranks with disruptive intentions. 

If newcomers threatened to dislodge one of their close buddies from the starting eleven, the bad boys would gang up to make life unpleasant for the new recruits. 

Some players will go all the way to physiologically unsettle what they conveniently termed as ‘intruders’ by not passing the ball to their new teammates or choosing to welcome them via brutal ‘hospital passes’ on the training ground, hitting the ball with ferocious power, thus making it very difficult for the receiver to bring the slippery spherical object easily under control.

Despite the orchestrated obstacles, Bro ‘Johnny-Wambu’ managed to weather the storm and proved the doubters wrong. His determination to succeed cemented his place in Ingwe’s starting eleven. 

The fast-galloping hard-tackling fullback eventually won the hearts and souls of his teammates, dishing out outstanding performances week in and week out, obligating the Doubting Thomases to sit and eat humble pie.

Playing and sharing a dressing room with established superstars spearheaded by lethal net buster ‘Forra’ Nicodemus, ‘Mentos’ Hipondoka, ‘Kanniedood’ Umati, ‘Oubaas’ Pogisho, ‘Lucky’ Iyambo, ‘Tiwi’ Kaundje, Alfons Hanavi, ‘Teenage’ Iyambo, ‘Bricks’ Hangula, and many greats was not going to be an easy task to handle, but Bro ‘Johnny-Wambu’, surprised friend and foe, cementing himself as a vital cog in the Tigers rock solid rearguard. 

Strong, energetic, and quick off the mark, the muscular tireless hard galloping left fullback made the number three (3) jersey his personal property to the extent that any Tigers team list without his name scripted in the starting lineup would be considered incomplete, so to speak. 

Well, as it stands, he might be long gone to be reunited with his ancestors, but the name ‘Johnny-Wambu’ will always crop up in conversations when those in the know talk about the greatest man-markers in the business, as many strikers, including the author, dreaded coming face to face with the fearless Compound protégé. 

Off the field, the likeable afro-haired hard as nails defender was a true gentleman, great sociable bloke in the habit of cracking jokes, and never became aggressive or lost focus when relentlessly teased and reminded about his background proximity. May his sporting soul continue to rest in ancestral power.