NAMDEB invests in a future destined for greatness

Namdeb continues to invest in the future of the Oranjemund community. The Oceans Athletics club of Oranjemund celebrated the town's athletics talent.
Jeanette Diergaardt
On 5 March 2022, the power of athletics proved to be a uniting factor bringing together a community of talent and a small town of potential. The Oceans Athletics Club of Oranjemund hosted a prestigious gala dinner, with guests of honour Henk Botha, Beatrice Masilingi and Christine Mboma. Further contributing to the success of the gala dinner and ultimately the success of the athletics club was Namdeb, which has been contributing to the growth of the small town of Oranjemund for years.

“Failures and setbacks teach us that you can’t take anything for granted; you get a talent and that is just one half of the story,” said Jack Wasserfall, the sustainability manager at Namdeb. He said an incredible amount of work goes into the success of athletes. According to Wasserfall, Namdeb has been keeping tabs on talented athletes in Oranjemund and providing them with financial backing. Beneficiaries include one of the Oranjemund gems, Magano Naseb, who won the Junior Sportsman of the Year award in 2021. Namdeb backed the young talent with N$30 000 to compete at national level.

According to the founder of the Oceans Athletics Club, Goldey Isaacs, the money collected will go towards the further development of the club. They hope to acquire an artificial track, a gym and training equipment to develop the town’s athletes.

With great potential comes great responsibility therefore people with hearts of gold like Suzie Karstens, who has invested her time and effort into the development of athletes, believes that if learners do not perform well academically, they should be assisted on the sports field to find their way. Karstens works hand in hand with Isaacs to develop athletes.

During the event the guests had the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the club by bidding on a Nike T-shirt signed by Christine Mboma and her sprinting spike shoes. The highest bidder for the T-shirt was Tuhafeni Kamati, who paid N$5 000. The signed sprinting spikes were bought by Timothy Burton for N$5 500.