Hangula destined for greatness

By Michael Uugwanga

Renalda ‘Tamara’ Hangula, 13, is one of a few girls who made it to the country’s top-tier football league, the First National Bank (FNB) Women Super League (WSL), last season. Hangula, a grade 7 student at K.W VON Mares Combined School in Okahandja, plays for the Okahandja FC Ladies squad in the FNB WSL, which avoided relegation last season.

Nicknamed Diamond, Hangula is the daughter of Lee Hangula, one of the founding members of Okahandja FC Ladies Club.

She plays as a centre forward and, despite her age, managed to score two league goals and had a few assists last season.

Despite her young age, she has already faced the division’s giants, including Lydiana Nanamus, Emma Naris, and Lovisa Mulunga (all defenders at FNB WSL winning side Tura Magic, now FC Ongos), Ndapewa Katuta (NamPol Ladies defender), and Veya Tjingaete (Girls and Goals defender). Her mother passed on last year, and like her father, she was one of the driving forces behind the development of the Okahandja FC Ladies team.

Although she did not score as many goals as she would have liked, her performance was recognised when she was called to the national under-13 team for the Confederation of African (CAF) African Schools Football Championship in Zimbabwe in December.

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