Africa-Press – Namibia. FOOTBALL lovers will remember former Orlando Pirates defence stalwart Steven ‘Power’ Goagab as one of the most solid defenders who ever played in the Namibian Premier League.
Goagab started playing football at Omulunga township, at his birthplace Grootfontein, in the Otjozondjupa region, at the age of six.
He started taking the game more seriously when he was enrolled at Makalani Primary School before he move on to Grootfontein Secondary School, where he matriculated in 2002.
During his primary school days, Goagab and his friends started a team known as the Rising Stars, which participated in street games and later tournaments sponsored by former Chelsea striker James ‘Khosi 4 Life’ Shipunda.
“My childhood friends and I owe it to Shipunda for having shaped our young football careers. His tournament and support helped us becoming more competitive, because there was always an incentive to win our matches.
“He also bought us vests and dye to dye the vests in the colours of our team. It may not sound big to some people, but it was every little boy’s dream to play in a soccer shirt back in the days. It gave you a sense of belonging, and we just loved that,” Goagab says.
Things finally started to happen for the former defender when he was selected for the national under-17 side that went to participate in a junior football tournament in South Africa in 1998.
He and some of his teammates from his region could, however, not be part of the trip to South Africa because they did not have passports.
Goagab, however, found some consolation in being selected for the Otjozondjupa region that represented the region in the prestigious The Namibian Newspaper Cup.
“I played for the regional team at three The Namibian Newspaper Cup tournaments at Gobabis, Mariental and Oshakati, and it was during the Oshakati tournament in 2002 that I was approached by Orlando Pirates officials to join their team.
“But I was not ready to play premier league football, because I was in matric and my mom made it clear to them that I have to finish school first. So I joined the Katutura Buccaneers in 2003, and the rest is history,” he says.
Goagab, who also skippered the Otjozondjupa region to victory in the 2005 edition of the newspaper cup at Mariental, enjoyed a successful stint in the defence of Pirates, a team which propelled his own father, Steve ‘Kalamazoo’ Stephanus, to superstar status.
He continued his father’s legacy by playing himself into the hearts of hard-to-please Pirates supporters, with outstanding defensive displays week in and week out.
His form also attracted the attention of the national under-23 team coach.
This time, there were no passport issues that could deny him the chance of representing his country at the 2006 edition of the Cosafa Cup in Welkom, in the Free State.
Officials of Carara Kicks, who were campaigning in the Northern Stream First Division at the time, asked to sign him and his former Pirates teammate Michael ‘Lasisi’ Pienaar.
Since they were both on Pirates’ books they had to return to Namibia and train with their team which was officially approached by the Welkom-based outfit, and a deal was struck for the two players to join the South African professional first-division outfit.
Goagab played two seasons with Carara Kicks before he caught the eye of former Sundowns star Sammy Troughton in 2008, who was coaching Mpumalanga Black Aces at the time, but Kicks’ management was asking too much for his signature.
He rebelled and joined Aces in Johannesburg, upon which the Kicks management budged and he returned to his parent team.
Another opportunity came up to join former Brave Warriors coach and Zimbabwean national Shepherd Murape at Thanda Royal Zulu at Richards Bay, in KwaZulu-Natal, but Goagab’s dream of playing for a bigger club was thwarted by the Kicks management once again.
However, the Namibian footballer made full use of his time at Richards Bay and thought it wise to do a firefighting course.
Goagab was called up eight times by senior national team selectors, of which he had started three times for the Brave Warriors.
He ended his international career after Namibia steamrolled Malawi 4-2 in Windhoek in 2017.
WORK, FITNESS
Goagab has been working at the Namibia Airports Company, where he is employed as a fire rescue officer, since 2012.
“This is one of the key components of airport safety. Our main priority is to ensure the safety of the lives of the people at the airport. We are trained to respond to emergency situations and protect passengers, the environment and property during emergencies.
“We are trained firefighters and we make sure the aeroplanes and the company property do not catch fire. Fire rescue officers are also fully equipped paramedics,” he says.
The self-proclaimed fitness fanatic also runs a bootcamp called Fitness in Progress with his sister Valencia Vivi Binga at Eros Primary School.
The former Pirates star keeps himself busy by playing in the Thru Pass Social League with Aweh Aweh – which is a football team predominantly made up of former Brave Warriors legends.
The team engages in the voluntary coaching of young aspirant footballers, especially in the rural areas where football coaching clinics are a rare commodity.
Goagab admits that he misses the adrenalin rush before matches as a player, especially during the Katutura derby against bitter rivals Black Africa, but says that he is happy with the way his life after football turned out.
RESCUE OFFICER … Steven Goagab is a fire rescue officer at the Namibia Airports Company since 2012.
ON THE BALL … Former Orlando Pirates defender Steven ‘Power’ Goagab shields the ball from Absalom Iimbondi of Tigers during a league match at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura.
FAMILY SET-UP … Retired footballer Steven Goagab, his girlfriend (left, children and a family member during a recent family outing in the city.
ON THE BALL … Former Orlando Pirates defender Steven ‘Power’ Goagab shields the ball from Absalom Iimbondi of Tigers during a league match at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura.
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