Born Lesley Urua Kozonguizi in Windhoek’s old location in 1955, Boeta Les was one of those few majestically well-groomed obedient ‘Pikininis’. He never got himself south of elders, since he always lived a clean life away from the evils of society, such as ‘Jwala’ and ‘Foes’. 

He strictly played by the book. 

A proud product of the revered St. Barnabas School, he was just like many other boys in the ‘hood’, chasing an inflated piece of leather in the dusty streets of Windhoek’s old location in between the odd visit to the notorious Van Rhyn Dam (Ondende) after school to while away time in the absence of recreational facilities for the marginalised Bantu community.  

The afro-haired ‘crooner’ joined the Katutura band, the Baronages, whilst still at high school, sharing the lead vocals with the streetwise baritone voice, Capetonian Tito May, aka Klonkies.

Respectfully, his unsaid life journey had its fair share of ups and downs. 

The brother escaped death by the skin of his teeth on a pair of dangerously separate occasions. 

Firstly, Boeta Les and his colleague from the multiracial pop/rock band, Telephone, were seconds away from becoming casualties when a bomb exploded beneath the stage from where they had performed the previous night, fronting the visiting South African band Hotline and P.J Powers in 1984. 

The sold-out live gig was also attended by a large number of camouflaged South African armed soldiers. 

The cunning men in uniform left the scene just before midnight because of the curfew. 

The show ended at two, in the wee hours of the morning, exactly two hours before the bomb exploded, blowing the entire hall to ashes. 

It was, indeed, a Godly-sent miscalculated misdeed.  

Secondly, there was a horrific car accident between Windhoek and Okahandja when the vehicle in which they were travelling with his friends after watching his beloved ‘Starlile’ in action in Otjiwarongo collided with an on-coming speeding motorcycle, killing one of his buddies instantly. 

However, these scary close calls did not stop the football-crazy brother from fulfilling his boyhood dream and desire to serve his beloved Reds to the best of his ability. 

He was eventually installed as Stars team manager, succeeding his elder brother, Stigga, a portfolio he guarded jealously until he was elevated to the plum position of chief operations officer.

Truthfully, it was not always a bed of roses for Boeta Les in the dog-eat-dog industry of running a massively followed football club on a skeleton budget. 

He was obligated by circumstances to navigate his way out of tight corners, which included escaping relegation on few occasions. 

Well, the brother has been there and seen it all, always prepared to roll with the punches. 

Boeta Les would move mountains and earth for the club. 

He bravely masterminded the transformation of Starlile from a mere community entity to a fully-fledged professional setup. 

Unlike other team managers in the modern game, he doubled as a talent scout, recruiting a significant number of raw talents before turning them into household names in the annals of domestic football. 

Those who spring to mind are Domingo Martin, Ebison Bwalya, Deon Hotto-Kavendjii, Stigga Ketjijere, Allan de Koe, Nico Andima, Seven Endjala, Kuveri Oversea Tjongarero, John Muhekeni, Steven Mbaisa, Boetiekie Seibeb, Chris Katjiukua and many ‘footies’ of remarkable pedigree.   

During his tenure at the helm, Stars won multiple major titles, including an astonishing tally of seven Premiership titles, a record-tumbling six Football Association Cup triumphs, Cup Double Champions 2010, Castle and Metropolitan Cups Winners 1992, twice top-eight Gold Medalists 1994/2019 and NPL Cup 2010 – certainly no mean feat. 

His immeasurable administrative acumen contributed immensely to the Reds’ trophy cabinet, bursting in seams with silverware in recent years. 

He also served as team manager for the national under-20 side for an extended period, and masterfully shepherded Stars to several international assignments beyond Namibian borders. 

It was indeed an uninterrupted amazing journey, spanning over three solid decades that will likely prove the mountain Kilimanjaro to scale for aspiring team managers to emulate. 

Let us salute this great son of the soil. 

His unwavering love and passion for Namibian football is the culmination of sheer hard work, dedication and unmatched perseverance. 

He also composed the signature song for Stars.  

A calculated fellow of decent upbringing and bloke of few words, the much-respected Boeta Les is happily hitched to his childhood sweetheart, Jesse, who bore him a pair of beautiful siblings, a daughter and son.