Charles Kauraisa laid to rest

Former Namibia Football Association (NFA) president and Blue Waters chairman Charles Kauraisa was laid to rest at Farm Finckenstein on Saturday.

The funeral was attended by his daughter and her Swedish mother, family and former Blue Waters greats like Bonetti Niilenge, Ranga Lukas, Duimpie Mupupa, Lucky Shipanga and Elia Nghipunya.

Club management Mathias Haufiku, Temba Nghitaunapo and Tostao Iimbili were also in attendance, with his former club African Stars represented by Patrick Kauta and Salomo ‘Gazza’ Hei.

A message of condolences from his former colleague, Kandas Paulino, was read on his behalf. The NFA was also represented by its director of membership, governance, compliance and legal affairs, Franco Cosmos.

Most Namibians came to know Kauraisa as the flamboyant football coach and chairman of the exciting harbour town outfit Blue Waters and later on as president of the NFA.

However, a little while before that, the outspoken scholar was managing boxing teams at regional and national level, as well as at provincial boxing tournaments in South Africa.

Many people are of the opinion that Kauraisa was a real intellect and highly professional in corporate circles.

Former Black Africa football great Boni Paulino describes Kauraisa as “a true scholar and a gentleman”. They met while he was a Rossing Uranium Limited sponsored student in the 1980s.

“After I completed my studies I got a permanent job on the mine and during my early employment career he was my boss as the then head of industrial relations. I learnt a lot about negotiation skills as he led the management union negotiations.

“When Kauraisa became the chairman of Rossing, I served as the company secretary and head of legal and worked very closely with him. It was an educational journey seeing him and learning how to lead a board consisting of mostly international but also local directors,” Paulino says.

The people who knew Kauraisa away from his posh office would attest that he was a remarkable person, softhearted, a philanthropist and a gentleman through and through, but also not someone you could easily manipulate.

During his term as NFA president, Kauraisa made sure the association was fully affiliated to the Confederation of African Football and later on to the world football governing body Fifa to qualify Namibia to participate in the Caf Cup and Fifa World Cup.

Players and officials from both Blue Waters, a team he coached, and the Brave Warriors, whom he led as NFA president, say that Kauraisa was the most accessible football leader they had ever worked with.

According to a statement from King Mandume Muatunga, a former chairman of Blue Waters, Kauraisa played for the club during his school holidays in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Kauraisa became more involved with the team from 1986 when he was working at Rossing. He was part of the elderly members who steered Blue Waters to the JPS Cup final in 1988 and he supported the team financially, materially and even housed the team at his home.

The outspoken Kauraisa even accompanied the team on their trips outside Walvis Bay and in 1992 he was on the bus when Blue Waters travelled to Ongwediva for friendly matches against Teenagers.

Kauraisa was appointed chairman of Rossing in 1991 and was moved to Windhoek. He is said to have negotiated and been instrumental in securing sponsorships from his company for the coveted national Rossing NFA Cup.

The late Kauraisa is also accredited for co-drafting the constitution of champions African Stars together with other scholars like doctor Tunguru Huaharuka, advocate Fanuel Kozonguizi, Betholdt Himumuine and Festus Muundjua.

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