Pack-Mwashekele played for the love of netball 

Valery Pack-Mwashekele says she played netball for the love of the sport, and not because she had to please others.

The retired all-rounder played top-flight netball for the TransNamib, Civics, and United netball teams in the Khomas First Division.

Born in Windhoek, Pack-Mwashekele, who grew up at Aminuis settlement in the Omakaheke region, returned to the city where she started her education journey.

She excelled playing in the centre, goal-attack, and wing-attack positions.

Pack-Mwashekele started playing netball at St Andrew’s Primary School in Khomasdal and moved on to Khomasdal Primary School before she became one of the first pupils who started at Eldorado Secondary School.

“I was a real education nomad. My stay at Eldorado was very brief before I eventually moved on to David Bezuidenhout Secondary School, where I did grades 9 and 10,” she says.

“I finally went to Windhoek High School (WHS), and it was also where my netball career became a little more serious. I became the first-ever black girl to play for the WHS netball team, whether junior or senior.”

Pack-Mwashekele initially played as a centre, but as she grew in the game, she switched to wing-attack and decided to move to goal-attack after she grew frustrated with the shooters.

“I joined TransNamib during my matric year and even played against my former teacher and netball coach Salomé Davin,” she says.

“I was joined by my schoolmates like Vivienne Katjiuonga and Theresa van der Westhuizen. We had a very good team and I really enjoyed myself there.”

The former TransNamib star says she was never too hard on herself.

“I gave my all to my team, but I would not work myself up and cut myself from the rest of the players if a result goes against my team,” she says.

“I was not the one who would easily surrender even if the opponent I played against was more experienced. l never made it easy for my opponent to win. I was very gracious in defeat and not too hard on myself.”

The retired star’s talent on the netball court didn’t go unnoticed.

She first caught the eye of an under-13 team that represented South West Africa at a provincial tournament in Durban, South Africa, before independence.

A prominent member of the former Polytechnic of Namibia (now the Namibia University of Science and Technology) Pack-Mwashekele also played for both the Namibian under-21 and under-23 teams.

She was part of the under-21 team that hosted an international tournament at Swakopmund, and when the Malaysian netball team toured Namibia, Pack-Mwashekele was one of the players selected to engage the visitors.

“Netball shaped me into the person I am today,” she says. “It taught me that success comes through hard work, discipline, commitment, and teamwork. It showed me how to stay resilient in the face of setbacks, remain humble in victory, and gracious in defeat.

“The sport instilled values of respect, accountability, and perseverance that I still carry into my professional career, my role as a wife and mother, and in my friendships.”

Pack-Mwashekele says beyond the game, netball gave her lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, and the confidence to believe that with dedication and determination, anything is possible.

She says she switched to the field during the later stages of her high school years where she was very competitive in discus, shotput and javelin, representing her school up to regional level before finally ditching athletics for netball.

“I did athletics at school without any support from my family, unlike the other children at school. When I started playing netball, I was doing it barefoot. That is why I regret not maximising my talent,” she says.

“I never saw my parents doing sport. I only hear from people that my mom used to play netball and my dad played football for African Stars. My parents were living on the farm already when I was doing sport.”

WORK, FAMILY

Now married with two children, Pack-Mwashekele joined Civics after TransNamib, and later moved on to United.

“I gave a little back for what netball gave me by serving on the selection committee of the Debmarine Desert Jewels, which is the Namibian senior national netball team,” she says.

“I still play for the United Golden Oldies team every now and then, especially during the derby matches against our old rivals Wanderers. I also do social running as an individual. I just love long-distance running.”

Pack-Mwashekele works in the communication and journalism for development organisations in the health sector.

She mentions the Black Africa trio of Yvonne Kotjipati, and defenders Jackie Gawanas and Jackie Veii, with whom she also played for Tisan team, as her toughest opponents.

Her advice for aspiring netball players is: “Never limit your dreams. Your current challenges or where you come from do not define your future. Remember, talent may open the first door, but hard work keeps it open.

“When talent falls short, discipline, perseverance, and dedication make the difference.”

She says sport is only enjoyable when a child does it for the love of it.

Parents should not forcing their children to do a specific sport, she says.

The former deadly shooter concludes by saying: “Your greatest victory starts with believing you are capable of achieving it. Keep putting in the extra effort.”

The post Pack-Mwashekele played for the love of netball  appeared first on The Namibian.