On the morning after Orlando Pirates faced Namibia’s African Stars in a CAF Champions League match in Gaborone, the Stars captain was sitting in the hotel lobby with his laptop, seemingly absorbed in work. The previous afternoon, Ronald Himeehua Ketjijere had been leading his teammates of the Namibian outfit on the pitch. Now, with the match behind him, another part of his working life appeared to have resumed.

His South African teammate, Lyema Dopolo, leaned forward and whispered, “He’s a big shot. He is a partner at a global law firm in Namibia. He’s an example of how much time we have as footballers and how we must make use of our time.”