Although he was an exceptional lock on the field of play, he joined the rebellion that saw players of colour breaking away from the then South West Africa Rugby Union (Swaru), to form the Namibia National Rugby Union (Nanru) to affiliate to the South African Rugby Union (Saru) in 1986.
Walters says cutting ties with Swaru was inevitable because there was nothing the union did to make players of colour feel welcome.
“Coming from a background of playing rugby at top level in South Africa, it was dreadful to see the playing conditions of the fields in Khomasdal. We didn’t even have a decent ground to play our matches and we had no choice but to play on gravel pitches.
“I was playing for Western Suburbs at the time when we opted out. The racist leadership of Swaru did not care about any other people but the whites. Our children in the townships did not even play rugby together with their white counterparts.”
After finishing his law studies in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1980, Walters first joined the Revolutions at Keetmanshoop where he worked as a prosecutor at the magistrate’s court from 1981 to 1983, before he signed up with Western Suburbs in 1984, after moving to Windhoek.
Nanru was formed in 1986, a year after the players of colour broke ties with Swaru, and they eventually joined Saru and started playing in the second tier in the same year.
His rugby journey started in earnest after he joined Dr Lemmer High School at Rehoboth in 1973. There was no school rugby at the time and his school opted to play in the Midland Rugby Union’s Saturday League against club teams. There were Tigers and Kudus from Walvis Bay; Jaguars and Buffaloes from Rehoboth and Swans, Villagers, Wicounts from Windhoek while Augustineum High School and St Joseph High School (Dobra) also formed teams later.
Dr Lemmer fielded a formidable team which included teachers like Herbie Schultz, the late Norman Titus, Ockie Ockhuizen and the late Hermanus Isaacks, who played alongside pupils like Babs Campbell, Frank Angermund, Hannes Groenewaldt, Ronnie Reith and the late Sidney Smith.
However, Walters’ dream to become a lawyer would take him across the Orange River to Cape Town where he enrolled at UWC.
“Those were the days, yes. I played my best rugby for the UWC between 1976 until 1979. Those were glorious and very exciting years. I also had other two Namibians, Clive Smith and Seth Strauss, playing with me for the university team.
“The highlight of my career came in 1978 when I was selected to play for the Tygerberg Rugby Union team after I won the league with UWC against formidable opposition like Belville, Tigers, Meltons and the Silver Leaves in the 16-team league.”
Walters, who was renowned as a fierce tackler who always led by example, says the icing on top of his rugby career came in 1978 when he won the Saru Cup after a hard-fought 6-3 victory over the renowned Boland with the Tygerberg Rugby Union selection team.
This despite the lack of adequate basic infrastructure like dressing rooms, with players forced to change into their playing gear in the bushes behind the university.
Walters, who still keeps fit today, wakes up early every day for his morning walk and believes a fit body houses a healthy mind.
He retired from playing in 1986 and served as president during the dawn of Nanru and when the union and Swaru amalgamated in 1990 after Namibia’s independence. He was also the vice president of the unified Namibia Rugby Union under president Gert Muller.
Walters, who married his childhood girlfriend Althea Walters in 1982, started working as a prosecutor in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court in 1981, before he was appointed magistrate in Windhoek in 1985.
“I can proudly say today that I was only the second non-white to be admitted as a lawyer in the then South West Africa. I was appointed state prosecutor in the office of the prosecutor general in 1990 before I resigned from government to go into private practice in 1996.
“I was just over seven years in the private sector before I was appointed acting prosecutor general in 2002 until 2003 before I was finally appointed as Namibia’s third ombudsman, a position I held for 17 years before my retirement in 2021.”
Walters says being ombudsman was the most satisfying job he ever had.
“It is always satisfying to try to help another human being but the fact that the ombudsman is not totally independent as prescribed by the Namibian Constitution was always going to be a stumbling block because it seems like the politicians were not keen.
“Why didn’t I go to court to demand for the independence of the ombudsman, only God knows. I even went to the lengths of drafting a new ombudsman bill, which I submitted to parliament. To my disappointment, not even my annual report was discussed in the National Assembly,” he says.
It was his aim for the annual report to be discussed in parliament so that the general public could make their own judgement, he says.
He regards his appointment as vice president of the International Ombudsman Institute in 2012, and as president in 2014, as the highest accolade of his career, and names his coach at Dr Lemmer – Theo Swayers, and his coach at UWC – Abie Abrahams, as the two people with the biggest influence on his rugby career.
The retired lock, who says he is happy with the way both his rugby and professional careers have panned out, is still an ardent rugby lover who enjoys watching the Springboks “because all the players in the team are playing on merit and no longer dependent on the quota basis”, he says.
And, although he retired from playing club rugby for Western Suburbs in 1986, he still misses playing the sport he loves so much. He particularly misses camping with his teammates before matches, and the team talks to discuss tactical approaches. However, he assists the current leadership of the club in whichever way he can.
“Namibia has a lot of talented young rugby players but with the wrong mindset. We see a new star popping up every now and then but they don’t usually last long because they get consumed by their instant fame and forget about their future.
“These types of players could benefit largely from a school of excellence. They will be attending school and there will be a lot of emphasis on training and development. It sounds like a pipe dream for now but it can be turned into reality with visionary leadership,” Walters says.
