Namibia’s international footballer and the captain of the Brave Warriors, Peter Shalulile, has achieved what many thought was impossible after equalling South Africa’s retired Kaizer Chiefs star Siyabonga Nomvethe’s all-time PSL goalscoring record.
The tour de force was registered this week, when the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) champion Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Magezi 2-0, in which Shalulile netted home the second goal to finally equal Nomvete’s long-standing PSL record of 129 goals.
The Brave Warriors dangerman netted home from outside the box to equal the league and cup goals record of Nomvete in the Premiership, which has been unbeatable since 1996.
Shalulile told reporters after the sweet achievement that he plans to overtake Nomvete soon and that his target this season is 25 goals as Sundowns look to lift the title for the ninth time.
“My plan is to score many more goals this season. I just need to get my confidence back,” he said.
Speaking to The Namibian Sport, Namibia Football Association (NFA) spokesperson Isack Hamata says: “For a country with a relatively small population and limited resources in professional sport, Peter’s success on a big stage like the PSL makes him a national hero.
“From a Namibian perspective, Shalulile’s achievement of equalling the all-time top goalscoring record in the PSL is a moment of immense national pride and inspiration.
“It transcends mere sporting statistics – it’s a testament to the power of hard work, discipline, and a quiet, unshakeable determination that many Namibians identify with and admire.”
Hamata says Shalulile is not just a footballer, but a role model for every aspiring young athlete in Namibia.
“His journey from a local club in Namibia to the top of South African football demonstrates that talent and dedication can open doors to greatness, regardless of one’s background. He embodies the ‘anything is possible’ mentality.
“When a Namibian player achieves such a monumental record, it brings attention and respect to the entire footballing ecosystem in the country. Already, we’ve seen scouts and clubs looking keenly and closely at Namibia for the ‘next Peter Shalulile’, potentially creating more opportunities for local players to move abroad and develop their careers,” he says.
Hamata says while the PSL is a South African league, it is a regional powerhouse that attracts top talent from across southern Africa.
‘VICTORY FOR NAMIBIA’
“Peter’s dominance in the PSL is a victory for Namibia in a regional context. He has proven that Namibian players can not only compete, but can become the very best in the region.”
The former sport journalist describes football as a passionate sport and said local rivalries often fuel a desire for national or local heroes to hold records.
“It’s understandable that some South African fans might have preferred a South African player to hold the all-time record. This kind of sentiment is a natural part of football fandom, and we should therefore not see it as a personal attack on Shalulile himself. They love him down there.”
Football analyst Uaka Katuamba echoes Hamata’s sentiments, saying Shalulile had been and must be an inspiration to any young footballer in Namibia and all over the world.
“Peter has shown not just Africa but the whole world what type of player he is; his dedication to the game and staying true and faithful to the game have paid off.
“He helped Tura Magic SC get promoted to the now defunct Namibian Premier League (NPL) in the 2011/2012 season. In 2015, he was part of the Namibian national team that won the Cosafa Cup.
“He got signed by Highlands Park. At Highlands Park he played 117 games and scored 44 goals, another record in that division by a foreign player.”
In 2020 while playing for his current team, he played 104 games and scored 61 goals that season, Katuamba says.
“In the last few seasons, Shalulile became one of the most lethal finishers in South Africa. The Namibian forward finished the 2019/20 season as joint-top goalscorer after bagging 16 goals.
“As a football fan, I’ve been angry with how they’ve been treating Peter. At times I thought they did not want him to break the record of Siyabonga Nomvethe, who has been the all-time top goalscorer with 129 goals, because lately he was being put on the bench for most of the games for Sundowns, and later there were rumours of him going to Egyptian giants Al Ahly, which further put my speculations to rest that there is an agenda for this record not to be touched by any foreign player,” he says.
Katuamba says it is a big achievement for Namibia.
“He has put Namibia on the world map. His discipline on and off the pitch says everything about Namibia,” he says.
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