Cometh the hour, cometh the man, Katutura glamour football club African Stars boasts a filthy-rich resume from its inevitable birth at Windhoek’s Old Location in 1952. 

The club has gone from strength to strength, growing in stature from a basic community social establishment to a well-structured business entity. 

Well, there is an old saying that behind every successful man, there is a steadfast woman, but in the case of ‘Starlile’, as African Stars is fondly known among their ardent followers, there were few great men of substance who made immense contributions towards the club’s rise to stardom. 

And while great players have come and gone, some of the prominent names will forever be entrenched in the memories of the club’s folklore for their unwavering services and commitment towards the cause. 

Great ‘footies’ anchored by versatile midfielder ‘Danger’ Siririka, Oscar Norich-Tjahuha, Charles Kauraisa, Katume Handura, Joe Kariko, Dr Siegfried Tjijorokisa, Judah Kazonganga, Obed Kamburona, Floyd Maharero, Ririvi Tjombe, Kanima Hoveka, ‘Rhoo’ Mbaeva-Mbura, Oscar Mengo, Uahatjiri Kuzee, Ndjiva Kauami, William Rwida, George Gariseb, Veziruapi Tjihero, Willy Rwida, Doc Naobeb, ‘Choice’ Kamuserandu, ‘Pushkin’ Kuhanga, Juku Tjazuko, Domingo Martin and dozens of club greats left indelible marks in the unsaid history of this great institution known as African Stars Sport Club.

Although the abovementioned players hogged the limelight on the playing field, there were those who were more than often unappreciated ‘volunteering slaves’ that made things happen behind the scenes, particularly the recruitment of players, keeping them fit and taking them through the ropes in line with the team’s tradition and playing style, including modern techniques of the game.

One man who has made significant contributions towards African Stars’ unsurpassed success in the annals of domestic football is none other than Otniel Kella Kaunaa Kauta, a strict disciplinarian. 

Kauta transformed Stars into an unplayable close-knit unit. The no-nonsense mentor bravely dismantled an ageing squad, introducing untried but highly-gifted youngsters shepherded by bulky midfielder Justus Uahatjiri Kaika Kuzee, and as they say, the rest is history. 

The year 1977 marked the ultimate ‘game-changer’ of Namibian football ushering in the unavoidable introduction of mixed-race football in then-apartheid South West Africa (SWA – Namibia). 

Local authorities under the stewardship of uncompromising Advocate Louis Pienaar resolved to abolish racial segregation across all sport codes, thus allowing all races to compete on equal footing, much to the chagrin of some hard-core conservative whites. 

Surprisingly, a significant chunk of white footballers, backed by few visionary men of substance, applied pressure on authorities to abolish apartheid in sport. However, the predominantly white teams were much stronger than their black counterparts in terms of technical and tactical awareness, aided by the presence of former professionals recruited from South Africa and abroad in their ranks.

The trio of clubs – Sparta United, Ramblers  and Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) – had very good players in their armory and they beat teams left, right, and centre. Without a shadow of doubt, Sparta United was at a different level, whipping their opponents at will via high scores until the silky Portuguese outfit welcomed Stars at their fortress in Walvis-Bay on a chilly Saturday afternoon. 

The fired-up Reds were not to be intimidated by the hostile atmosphere and their hosts’ flawless resume going into the tie. 

Under the stewardship of Kella, ‘Starlile’ gave the coastal outfit a taste of their own medicine with a 5-3 drubbling of Sparta at their packed to the rafter compact Sparta field in Walvis-Bay. 

What made the victory sweeter was the fact that coach Kauta had gathered enough courage to drop one of his most reliable forwards, the late Kaputji Kuhanga, for disciplinary reasons. The free-scoring sharpshooter had broken the team’s curfew rules the previous night and gone on an unapproved ‘Jwala’ spree.

Old man of incumbent Reds’ honcho Patrick Kauta had indeed laid the foundation for Stars’ change of fortunes with his trademark sharp eye for identifying great talent, strong belief and trust in giving youngsters the chance to showcase their God-given talents without fear. 

Kauta was at the helm of the youthful outfit when ‘Starlile’ claimed the scalps of pre-tourney favourites Black Africa to clinch the Dave’s Furnishers Cup in 1974. Stars won the match 3-2 with goals from the hastily-converted auxiliary fullback ‘Bush’ Menjengua, Ben Kauejao and Karumbu Kahiha. 

‘Five’ Hochobeb and Pius Eigowab replied for the star-studded Gemengde outfit, made up of Dobra products. 

He played an instrumental role with the ‘superb’ poaching of devastating wingers Kaputji Kuhanga and his homeboy Immanuel Kamuserandu from coastal side Blue Waters, tailed by the subsequent recruitment of lethal goal-poacher refugees Zenga Dodo, Zeka Malenga and Amerigo de Almeida to the Reds stable.               

His amazing sporting journey got off the ground while a ‘Pikinini’ at the revered St Andrews Catholic School at Windhoek’s Old Location, a learning institution tailored to offer shelter to coloureds/basters and few offspring of well-to-do parents from the Bantu (black) community. 

“Strangely, I played rugby at school, which required lots of concentration, discipline, strong mind and physical strength. As a result, vigorous training was the hallmark of my coaching methodology because the fitness levels of athletes must always be top-notch. 

“In rugby, we attack with the backs while the ball must be played backwards, hence my resolution to experiment with the same philosophy of attacking with fullbacks. That’s why you noticed the tireless George (Gariseb) always playing as an extra attacker, flying down on the white chalk, displaying his trademark ruthless overlapping and amazing level of fitness.

“I remember when I took the bold but somehow unpopular decision to cheese off the old guard to make way for younger blood, it was war. But I stood my ground, and told the unhappy players that they were getting a bit long in the tooth fitness-wise. It was evidently clear in their performance that they could no longer keep up with the pace, intensity and high demands of the modern game,” he said.

Admittedly, Stars under the stewardship of Kella played a significant role in instilling confidence among blacks for a sense of belief and equality during the infant years of multiracial football in apartheid South West Africa, because it was not only about playing football, it was more about racial superiority and pride.

African Stars managed to break the systematic ‘inferiority complex’ proving that blacks could compete and come out tops against the whites, if given equal opportunities. Kella was also at the helm when the fired-up Reds claimed an unprecedented cup double in the maiden season of mixed-race football in apartheid South West Africa (SWA) in 1977. 

“When I was working in South Africa, I befriended a dude from Cape Town, who gave me valuable tips about the finer points of the game. I was lucky in the sense that I got exposed to football manuals from Europe about tactics,” said the strict disciplinarian with a twinkle of joy in his eyes.