25 Mar 2019

Many speakers at the funeral of former Extension Gunners and Botswana under 17 defender, Obakeng ‘Dibanka’ Moupo described him as a dedicated player, who was also a humble, hardworking and trustworthy person outside the football pitch.

Moupo passed away last week at the age of 44 and was laid to rest in Digawana on March 23.

He played for the star-studded Gunners team of the 1990s and was affectionately called by nicknames such as ‘Mubanka’ and ‘Arbie.’

His uncle, Aobakwe Moilwa encouraged mourners to emulate Dibanka by discovering their talents in order to make good names for themselves just like Dibanka did with his talent.

“You should engage God to remove the veil in your eyes while searching for the talent that he has given to you so that you can be able to make a living out of those talent and also to have something to be remembered for when you are gone,” he said.

Botswana Football Association (BFA) second vice president, Pelotshweu ‘Marshlow’ Motlogelwa said Dibanka contributed a lot to the growth of football in the country. Motlogelwa, who was Dibanka’s teammate in the Gunners team which also contained among others Naphtally ‘Scara’ Kebalepile, Kopano ‘Computer’ Phakedi, Peter ‘Mpharanyane’ Mabile and Morris ‘Pro’ Mauco, expressed concern that many former players like Dibanka were no longer active in football structures.

He said they should be the ones guiding youngsters in the right direction because they have experience in football.

“We as BFA will take responsibility to find our former players and see where they are, and also give them the honour they deserve. We need the knowledge and experience they gained during their playing days for upcoming players to learn from them. Dibanka is now gone with his knowledge, which could have benefited someone because we did not give him the opportunity to teach,” said Motlogelwa.

Former Gunners chairman, Rashid Chopdat explained that Dibanka was a disciplined player who played football with love and passion. Dibanka is survived by a daughter, seven siblings and his parents. ENDS