Former Namibia U20 national and Unam Rugby Club player Graham April (30) died in car accident between Karibib and Usakos in the Erongo region on Friday.
Unam Rugby Club head coach David Philander describes Graham as a friend to many, a son, a brother, loyal stalwart of the club and an incredible human being.
Philander says the club will carry Grahams’ memories for as long as God allows, adding that his death has rocked the Namibian rugby fraternity.
“His time with us has sadly come to an end and he now returns to take his place among the angels. Our condolences to the April and wider family. We stand firmly with you during this time,” Philander says.
Erongo regional commander commissioner Nikolaus Kupembona has confirmed the car accident, which involved three vehicles.
Kupembona says one of the vehicles was overtaking when it collided head-on with a hatch-back, killing the driver on the spot.
“In the other vehicle there were four passengers and a driver who sustained multiple injuries and were taken to hospital. The third vehicle was slightly damaged with no serious injuries,” he says.
At the age of 19, April was selected to play for the national rugby team during the World Rugby U20 Trophy tournaments in 2014 in Hong Kong and in 2015 in Portugal, after standing out as a player at Windhoek High School.
SportsWrap reports that he mostly played as a tighthead prop, and contributed to Unam Rugby Club’s historic Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) Premier League title-winning seasons from 2015 to 2017.
In 2019, April was also selected to represent the Welwitschias in the South African provincial competition.
In the 2026 season, he played in both of Unam’s matches in the NRU Premier League.
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