Kavango East leadership commends Mboma, Masilingi

RUNDU - The Kavango East regional leadership yesterday congratulated Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi for their performances at the World Athletics Continental Tours in Spain and Poland.

Rundu Rural Constituency Councillor Paulus Mbangu said the region is excited and proud of the pair’s achievements, despite the Coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday, Mboma won the 200m race in a time of 22:79 seconds at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Madrid, Spain, while Masilingi won the 400m race in a time of 49:88 seconds during yesterday’s World Athletics Orlen Janusza Kusocinskiego Memorial in Poland.

Mbangu said the leadership has decided to gift Mboma and Masilingi, who both hail from the region, with a token of appreciation when they return from the Games, and called on the Namibian government to gift the two women with new houses as appreciation from the people of the country.

He added that at its last council meeting, councillors including the governor of the region, took a resolution to welcome the duo in style. “We are busy soliciting funds to get the women gifts for when they return home. We have not yet decided what it is that we will give them,” he said.

The councillor said Paralympic gold medallist Johanna Benson was gifted with a house, and has a street named after her. Therefore, a similar token should be granted to Mboma and Masilingi. “The Rundu Town Council should consider naming streets after them, or at least give them plots.”

The governor of the region, Bonny Wakudumo, echoed similar sentiments in that the entire country is proud of the two women for putting Namibia on the map. “On behalf of the region, we feel honoured and proud to have athletes emanating from this region who excel at international level,” he said.