South African football fans could soon witness another Peter Shalulile in the DStv Premiership. This is according to former Kaizer Chiefs midfield hardman Robert Nauseb.
The Mamelodi Sundowns marksman has become a household name in Mzansi football over the past couple of years since seeking greener pastures from across the Namibian border.
The 29-year-old pacey forward joined Highlands Park in the Motsepe Foundation Championship (formerly known as the National First Division) from Namibian Premier League outfit Tura Magic back in 2015 after undergoing a successful assessment under the watchful eye of coach Allan Freese and his technical team.
Fast forward to almost a decade later, the Windhoek-born striker seems to have already inspired a number of youngsters back in his native homeland after his cleansweep at the PSL awards, taking home the coveted PSL Footballer of the Year as well as the PSL Top goalscorer gongs in back-to-back seasons (2020-21 & 2021/22) among his other top achievements.
Shalulile has been a hit in the DStv Premiership so much that he recently joined the 100 goals club in South African football, alongside football greats like Siyabonga Nomvethe (123), Daniel Mudau, and Mabhuti Khenyeza (joint on 110), Manuel ‘Tico-Tico’ Bucuane (104) and Collins Mbesuma who sits on 103.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed by those who closely follow his incredibly hard work, with a new Shalulile having been identified by the former Kaizer Chiefs and Namibian midfield maestro Robert Nauseb, who is looking to ship his new star find to Mzansi in the not-so-distant future.
Nauseb, 48, currently serves as an assistant coach to another former PSL player Ronnie Kanalelo who did duty for Sundowns as a goalkeeper between 1999 and 2005, where they occupy their respective roles at UNAM FC in that country’s elite division.
The player that has been compared to Shalulile, and has received huge praise from the former Amakhosi man is 23-year-old Nehemia Lenin Ndengu who plays in the Namibian Premier League.
“There is a striker that I saw here but he plays for another club, “Nauseb tells ThisIsFootball.Africa.
“I want to take him to [Kaizer] Chiefs. That boy for me will be the next Peter Shalulile.
“He has similar attributes. The speed and everything. The only difference between him and Peter is that Peter is a hard worker.
“But he’s got goals in him. I saw him here and he just started playing in the Premier League and he’s only 23 years old.
“I saw him playing for the same team that Peter used to play for [Tura Magic].
“I’m trying to find out who is the player’s agent is before I try and do something that side with [Kaizer Motaung] Junior. They can have a look at the boy and then take it from there,” he added.
Nauseb admitted that though Ndengu is a young gem that really caught his attention, the player had unfortunately lost a few years of development due to the lack of grassroots structures in Namibia.
“I’m looking at four years back and the boy was 19 years old so he has lost four years of his development in football.
“I mean he’s 23 but what I really saw, it caught my eye.
“Even if it means I ask them [Chiefs] to send a scout to come and watch the boy and then we can take it from there.
“I know for a fact that boy won’t stay here long. The boy is good.
“They were playing a tournament and I was bored so I just drove there and went to sit down. Five minutes I watched the game I saw that this player will go somewhere. In five minutes that’s what I saw. I saw something in him.
Nauseb further added that there were chances that Ndengu would start getting the national team selections attention going forward.
“He’s not in the national team yet but I spoke to the national team coach and he says he wants to call him to have a closer look at him.
“I’m also confident that by next year, 100% the boy will be playing in the COSAFA tournament and if it’s in South Africa, it will be easier for Chiefs to see the player and invite him for trials,” the former Santos man said.
Ndengu is not just a football player, but has already invested some of his time in his studies. He undertakes his studies at the Namibian University of Science and Technology – NUST in the capital city of Windhoek.
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