This is real development -VRK

Otjiherero Radio presenter Vezemba Rodman Katjaimo believes there is a misconception when it comes to tournaments meant to bring communities together.
The presenter, known as VRK, was speaking on the sidelines of a netball and football tournament bearing his name.
This was the second edition of the VRK Sports Management championship.
The tournament started on Friday and was expected to conclude yesterday afternoon.
Katjaimo said this kind of tournament plays an important role in developing football in the country, more so now that there is a vacuum when it comes to the elite league.
“We are trying to motivate the younger players because we allow four players from the Namibia Premier League (NPL) to play. This gives them a chance to compete against guys that have played at a higher level,” he said.
“The perception that this is bush football or a Herero tournament is wrong because we have teams from everywhere,” he added, listing sides from the Namibian University of Science, University of Namibia and the Otjomuise township as those that compete against teams from rural areas.
Instead such tournaments should be viewed as community games, Katjaimo stressed.
The radio presenter said elite players also benefit from playing in this kind of event, especially now that it is unclear whether top level football will take place.
Namibian Sun spotted a number of NPL players turning out for their ‘home’ teams; something that gives them a chance to keep fit, Katjaimo explained.
The event was also a test for Katjaimo’s conflict-resolution abilities, with one football match requiring intervention by the City Police.
“It is very rare for such incidents to take place and we opted to have the entire match replayed. So even though not everybody was happy it was the only logical way to solve it,” Katjaimo said.
The radio presenter is determined to see sport played in all regions of the country, as he also hosts a seven-a-side football tournament at Ovitoto during the December holidays.
To complement that, he plans to have mentorship programmes across Namibia.
“I want to motivate people to keep sport and education hand in hand. By so doing we can then use sport as a bridge and a key to success and our athletes will not suffer.”
Katjaimo stated that the tournament is growing as they had 33 football teams and 33 netball teams competing compared to 28 football teams last year.
The total prize money has also increased from N$30 000 the first year to N$50 000 this time.
The winners in the football competition are set to walk away with N$35 000 and the netball winners will receive N$15 000.
“We also pay out money to the quarter-finals losers to broaden what every team gets,” he said.
The third annual VRK Sports Management tournament is expected to be held in August next year, Katjaimo concluded.


HECTOR MAWONGA