Hamba Kahle, Bro Phil Philemon Jood 1959 - 2023
Born Philemon Jood in Upington in the Northern Cape, South Africa on 2 June 1959, young Philemon grew up in the town’s largest residential area, Paballelo.
Bro Phil started playing competitive football for the local boyhood team Paballelo Chiefs alongside homeboys Aaron Mthebe, Jabu Brown, Willem Rebel Plaatjies, Junior Mani, and many others.
During his secondary education, Bro Phil joined an exodus of homeboys trekking northwards to South West Africa (now Namibia) in search of greener pastures. The boys from Upties found refuge with several local top clubs where they established themselves as household names in the domestic league.
However, it was not long before they resolved to start their own team as a matter of a sense of belonging. The football-playing boys from across the Orange River teamed up with a few football-playing Angolan refugees to form Benfica Football Club, named after Portuguese giants Benfica, befittingly adopting the same colours – the famous red and white strip.
The newly-formed outfit joined the rebel Khomasdal League of the Central Namibia Football Association (CNFA) under the stewardship of Namibian football icon, the late Uncle Bobby Sissing. And even though the newly-formed militant league was considered lightweight in comparison to the more superior Central Football Association (CFA) league, it drew large crowds to their matches week in and week out.
Truth be told, Benfica found the
going a bit tough against their much younger opponents but the team won the hearts and admiration of football fans in Khomasdal with their attractive brand of South African ‘Kasi’ football, entertaining the crowds with their trademark juicy ‘Shibobos’ (nutmegs), much to the delight of the fans. Benfica certainly added value to the CNFA brand.
Upon the country’s unavoidable independence, the league was disbanded to make way for a unified national league, accommodating all nationals under the same roof. Regrettably, apart from a few prominent teams spearheaded by Civics, Arsenal, and a few others, a significant number of football clubs campaigning in the entertaining
CNFA League died a silent death never to be spoken of again.
Benfica fell in the same category, but despite their unfortunate demise, the silky boys from across the Orange River certainly left a long-lasting mark in the annals of domestic Namibian football with their trademark entertaining football never witnessed before on local pitches.
Without a shadow of a doubt, statistics reveal that Benfica used to attract more crowds to their league matches at the compact Khomasdal field than many teams competing in the supposedly strong CFA League.
Truly speaking, they came,
conquered, entertained and pleased Namibians with a totally different brand of football to the extent that many local footies copied their style of play up to the present day. Namibian football is a great deal of gratitude indebted to the silky boys from across the Orange River. Let us pause for a moment and give credit to where it’s due.
As it stands, the likes of Aaron Mtebe, Jabu Brown, Rebel Plaatjies, Elvis Sheya Mwelasi, Junior Mani, Raphael Ncukane, Elgin Sputla Masite, Kenneth Phakade, Tammy Mdevulana, Patrick M’kotwna, Andile Kalimba, and Doctor Cloete have all contributed immensely
to the overall development of Namibian football. The abovementioned players brought a different dimension to the local game with their jaw-dropping style of bewitching the spherical object.
During his time in his adopted country, Bro Phil found himself a slave at the health ministry before retreating to his original habitat – Upington – shortly after Namibia’s independence. The easygoing socialite became a dedicated man of the cloth, vigorously preaching the word of God until his untimely departure from the mother planet. May his gentle soul rest in eternal peace.