Samani Kamerika: The ‘Rasta’ with the deft touch

Born at Outjo, pre-independence national team midfield kingpin Samani ‘Rasta’ Kamerika says he was born with a love for football.

“Football for me was inborn. I enjoyed expressing myself with the ball. My sublime skills were honed in the dusty streets of Nau-Aib location at Outjo, while my football brain was developed at Namibia’s school of excellence, St Joseph’s High School, alias Dobra,” he says.

Kamerika says he was fortunate to have played with some of the country’s best footballers at Dobra.

“I was a teammate of former South West Africa Black XI and Chief Santos player-coach Max ‘Zoda Five’ Johnson for our hostel team called Eusobio,” he says.

Although he hardly played football at St Michaels RC Primary School, Kamerika walked straight into the first team of the exciting Dobra outfit with the approval of coach and teacher Willem Hans.

“Teacher Willem might have seen something special in me. It was not usual that a newcomer at the school, with no prior reputation for his football prowess, would be selected to play in the first team of the school with such a rich football history,” Kamerika recalls.

“I became an integral member of the team and, funny enough, I didn’t play for any of the big clubs in Windhoek, despite a lot of interest from the likes of African Stars and Black Africa (BA). However, I was pursued by the legendary Albert Tjihero to join Stars.”

Although he accompanied Tjihero to one of the Stars matches, Kamerika never wore the famous blue, red and white jersey until he would leave school two years later in Standard 8 (Grade 10).

“I just decided I had enough of school and returned to Outjo. I stayed home for about a year before a family member invited me over to Arandis, where he was working for Rössing Uranium,” he says.

He says he spent only a few weeks at Arandis where he secured a job at Rössing in 1976.

“In 1977 we started a team called Sorento Bucs. I played for Sorento for six years until I quit my job and returned to Outjo where I joined Golden Bees during their formative years in 1982.”

Meanwhile, BA and Stars still continued sending people to Outjo to court him into joining them, but the dreadlocked midfield player pledged his loyalty to the Etoshapoort outfit and he even wore the t-shirts given to him by the representatives of the two Katutura giants.

“I decided to stay and help Golden Bees develop, and with the help of the likes of Bantu Nangombe we turned our team into a dominant force in our league, and it was only a matter of time before we clinched the league and got promoted,” he says.

“Golden Bees made a very good account of themselves in the Namibian Premier League, and it was really an exciting era in the history of the club. We made sure that teams like BA, Stars, Orlando Pirates, Blue Waters, Tigers and Chief Santos came to play at the tiny Outjo.”

Kamerika says he was never a fast runner, but enjoyed “making things happen” for his team from the right wing.

‘MR RELIABLE’

“I was a very good header of the ball and teams were really panicking with me around during set-pieces. I was a constant threat during aerial duels,” he says.

“What set me apart from most of my peers at the time is that I, apart from my heading skills, was also an exceptional passer of the ball. I would break up some of the best defences in the league with my passes.

“I was the ‘Mr Reliable’ of the team and it was up to me to set up goals.”

Apart from pulling the strings from the midfield, history will remember Kamerika as the only Bees player who has played all positions for the team.

“My best and most memorable moment was in the late 80s when I played as a goalkeeper one Sunday against Stars after our regular goalie was injured during our loss to Black Africa earlier the Saturday. We beat Stars 1-0 and I even saved a penalty.”

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kamerika, who also played for the Rössing Uranium team during the Inter-Mines Annual Football Tournament, was the Bees’ captain for five years, and his value in the team is measured by the fact that he was the club’s best player of the year for six consecutive times.

He finally hung up his boots for good at the age of 37. This was in the same year his son Ricky Kaizemi was drafted into the team.

Outjo football fans got to see father and son slug it out together for the Bees.

His superb form with the Golden Bees was not in vain and it didn’t come as a surprise at all that the midfield talisman caught the eyes of the pre-independence national team selectors.

“It was inevitable that I was called to represent the old South West Africa in the Impala Cup tournament which saw the team progressing to the semi-finals while we defeated Western Transvaal to qualify through to the finals,” Kamerika says.

“It was a proud moment in my life. I was the youngest member of the team, but the talent was there. Going to Johannesburg was the first time ever I left Namibia.”

After retiring from Rössing, Kamerika secured a job at the Ministry of Works and Transport’s road division, which is today known as the Roads Contractor Company.

He worked for the RCC until six years ago.

THE FARMER

Kamerika is currently devoting his time and energy to farming.

“I was resettled at farm Stilte, near Kamanjab, where I am farming with goats. We are all excited about the good rains we have received this year. I must admit that until now, farming was a nightmare and I even considered quitting this business,” he says.

“But we have been blessed with lots of rain this year. Even the grass is so high in the field we are scared to walk there sometimes,” he says.

Kamerika says it looks like 2025 is going to be a prosperous year.

“Water is bountiful.”

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