Be disciplined and loyal, says former football star

Civics and Brave Warriors star Harold Kaunozondunge, known as one of Namibia’s most reliable central defenders, once played alongside Namibian sprint legend Frank Fredericks.

Gifted with perfect timing and a strong tackle, Kaunozondunge is a prime example of a player who converted with aplomb from the midfield to central defence.

“I always played as a midfielder, right from my primary school days at Döbra and St Andrews Primary School, where I played with Frank Fredericks, who went to become a star striker with Black Africa before he hit the headlines as one of the world’s top sprinters,” says the Windhoek-born Kaunozondunge.

“I did the sprints at primary school and continued in my first two years at Ella du Plessis, but my love for football took over. Me converting to defence was only by chance after our regular sweeper, Fillah van Wyk, moved to the coast.”

Kaunozondunge and Fredericks, who both hail from the same area of Katutura, alongside Tiwii Kaundje and Totii Hanavi (who both later became prominent players with Tigers), grew up playing for their local team, the Red Devils.

Kaunozondunge’s mother played netball for African Stars and his dad is an ardent fan of the club, while he is a true loyalist who only played for Civics throughout his football career.

“I joined Civics in 1984, exactly one year after their formation in 1983, and I never looked back. I went on to wear the maroon and white jersey of the Bethlehem Boys for 18 good years. I must admit they were very beautiful years indeed,” he says.

“The reason that made my stay at Civics more pleasant and enjoyable is the fact I played there with my schoolmates at Ella du Plessis, like Henock Uirab, Stanley ‘Tiger’ Goagoseb and goalie Rex English, who also happened to be my teammates in the school team.”

Kaunozondunge built himself a reputation as a hard-working player who gave his all on the football pitch. He featured for Civics in the Khomasdal Football League, under late uncle Bobby Sissing, before they joined the new Namibian Premier League at independence.

His loyalty to his boyhood club was rewarded with Metropolitan Cup success, which came on top of the clean sweep they made in the pre-independence Khomasdal league.

Civics forged what Kaunozondunge describes as “a very bitter and unpleasant rivalry” with their Khomasdal neighbours, Young Ones, who were undoubtedly a more superior force. That is, until Helmuth Shernovsky plough millions into Civics through his Buschulle project.

“We could not thank Helmuth enough when he approached us to take over the ownership, with the promise of turning the club into a force to be reckoned with. We were literally drowning in poverty, we were running the club on empty,” Kaunozondunge says.

“Helmuth gave Civics a real facelift. We became a powerful force in the domestic league. We became the envy of the league with our professional set-up and we started to attract some of the best players in the country. Three consecutive league titles says it all.”

However, the glory days seem to have come a little too late for the no-nonsense defender, who retired the season before Shernovsky’s take over in 2001.

Nevertheless, he was called out of retirement by former player-coach Brian ‘Robson’ Isaacs to join the Mighty Civilians on their historic pre-season month-long tour to Germany, after which he decided to hang up his football boots for good.

However, the retired player enjoyed what he describes as a fulfilled football, complemented by a national team call-up.

“I am very proud and happy with my achievements as a footballer. The fact that I was able to represent my country gives me a feeling of fulfillment. It is not everyone who gets the chance to wear their national team flag on their chest,” Kaunozondunge says.

“My only disappointment is that I could not represent Namibia at the African Cup of Nations (Afcon). I was part of the group of players for the 1998 Afcon in Burkina Faso, however, a horrendous injury denied me a chance to be a part of the history-making team.”

He did, however, have several opportunities to wear the prestigious Brave Warriors jersey after he first tasted international football in the mid-90s against Guinea in Windhoek.

“My national team debut came very unexpectedly. I was literally thrown in the deep end of the swimming pool. An injury to the team captain and one of the most reliable members of defence, Bimbo Tjihero, created a vacuum for me to play,” he recalls.

“I was still wearing my tracksuit when our coach, Rusten Mogane, told me to warm up because I was going to start. You can imagine the emotions I went through… I was understandably shocked because it was unexpected but exciting to finally get my break.”

Kaunozondunge gave a near perfect display to help Namibia earn a 1-1 draw on the day and he was rewarded with a few more run-outs against Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The former defender, who went on early retirement from his job at NamWater, never married but is the father of seven children.

His son, Gianluca ‘Pusca’ Kahingunga, has followed in his father’s footsteps and is currently playing for champions African Stars.

“I worked as a safety officer for NamWater for 25 years. I was doing reassessments throughout the company. I was tasked to mitigate company expenses and to minimise car accidents, which counted for the biggest losses of the company.

“I did monthly inspections at the workshops to see if the people there were fulfilling the safety requirements of the labour law. When there are a lot of people stealing, like the cashiers, you go there to investigate. My job was to minimise the risks and maximise the profits.”

Kaunozondunge went on to invest a portion of his retirement savings in the Harambee Prosperity Sports Bar, which was a very popular spot for young people at Otjomuise Extension 2. He also had a driving school as a side hustle.

“The sports bar in particular, was doing very well and we had lots of customers because I made a lot of friends during my football playing years. Unfortunately, Covid-19 came and we could no longer operate because of the ban on public gatherings and the sale of alcohol.

“The driving school also had the same fate as the sports bar because we could no longer attract clients. The Covid-19 pandemic really crippled Namibian businesses and the economic downturn was felt all over the world,” he says.

Kaunozondunge, who names his father as the person who had the biggest influence on his football career, mentions the former Orlando Pirates and Brave Warriors gifted striker, Ewald ‘The Terrible’ Hoeseb, as his toughest opponent, because of his unpredictable style of play.

His advice to young players is to be disciplined and loyal to their teams.