Food for Thought

* EVEN if you miss out on the official HIV testing day, go on any other day for testing. Make it a habit. And ladies you are more at risk because traditionally the odds are against you. Once you know your status, you know it for the rest of your life. Which means you can protect yourself without ever compromising your health. - HM Ucham

Swapo-RDP clash

* MR State President and President of Swapo, the state of the nation and the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia are held hostage by the party you are leading. This is in reference to the near-clash between your party and RDP in Windhoek on Saturday as well as other incidents such as at Omuthiya. Bloodshed is imminent. Blood is waiting to flow soon and the hands to be tainted first will be yours and then those of other Swapo leaders. It is, therefore, urgent for you and your leadership to respect the Constitution and the rule of law and avoid the disturbance of peace and stability we all cherish. Namibians have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution that you took an oath to defend, remember?

* I'M a full member of RDP and I'm very worried about what happened in Windhoek on Saturday when the Swapo members disturbed the rally for our party. Please I'm requesting the Swapo leaders to respect the Constitution of this country. Please they must live in peace, we don't want a second Kenya. We are here to stay, they must wait for next year.

* REGARDING the Swapo supporters disrupting an RDP rally: Swapo leaders must teach their supporters tolerance otherwise they will be shamed publicly as happened over the weekend. Swapo must condemn these acts unless they sanction them. The Police response was equally pathetic. An urgent investigation must be launched to put measures in place to prevent a recurrence because democracy is at stake here. Those unruly Swapo supporters must be prosecuted.

* IT is a disgrace to see how our Swapo Party is disgraced by people like Mwinga and his group of hooligans. Please behave like a gentleman and not a coward

* WHAT is this? Shame on you Swapo, you said you are not afraid of RDP but you are trying all this rubbish. Preventing one another from addressing the nation is too childish. You did it the same way SA did it in years of 1970s for example at Oluno. We are tired of your bad behaviour.

* A STAND-OFF between two parties where the authorities had to be called in to disperse the combatants before it erupted into serious bloodshed. Sounds like Swapo vs RDP! But despite the similarities, it was only elephants fighting villagers. But the similarities are there, small vs big but without the petty name-calling! Elephants have better political common sense than the Swapo faithful maybe?

* I REALLY wonder what has happened to Namibians? After reading Monday morning' s newspaper about what Swapo supporters did to the RDP rally, I am really scared. I think we are turning into another Kenya. Namibia you will soon lose your reputation as one of the most peaceful countries in Africa.

* CORRECTION: Nambinga tell the truth and nothing else than truth. Swapo supporters did not stop or block you (RDP) from holding the meeting at Okuryangava (on Saturday) as you claimed. Swapo supporters told you that the place (spot) where you wanted to address your supporters is where Swapo always held the meetings (rallies). And that's why you should look for another place. Here it's absolutely not a matter of sabotaging the democracy as you said, but about the venues. If Swapo erects its flag there, and you want to remove it by force, how do you expect the people (Swapo) to react? If I was you, who claim to be a peace-loving person, I should simply tell my followers to move somewhere else.

* SWAPO we do not want war. Let democracy prevail in Namibia. - Sage

* TO the Swapo top leadership, you need to control the behaviour of the Swapo regional co-ordinator for Khomas when it comes to organising people to disturb RDP meetings in Windhoek. This can cause bloodshed politically. Mr Mwinga should know that some RDP members are ex-Plan combatants. He must take note of that and Swapo top leadership needs to give political direction otherwise there will be political uphill in the country.

* WELL done RDP for your co-operation. We need peace in Namibia. We need RDP to rule Namibia

* DEVELOP the country, don't destroy it. Swapo leaders educate some of your supporters to show respect to others.

* WHY did the Police not arrest the members of Swapo for violating the rights of the RDP and the law?

* PLEASE people stop intimidating each other during politics, otherwise Namibia will become a laughing stock.

General

* I KNOW it's not Christmas, but since President Pohamba looks a bit like Father Christmas, could he please give us a new Mayor for Windhoek this year. I promise to be a good citizen in exchange.

* PLEASE Hon Minister of Defence, hear the financial cry of your soldiers and their families. Some get divorces, others resign. Why can the Hon Minister not table the issue of 45 per cent of GIPF to be given to them all? - Crying Soldier

* DEAR Skorpion permanents, forgive us going in. As you all know, contract workers have no guarantees. We are hired people and cheap labour. We are standing by your side. So go on till you win. - The Gardener's Son

* JUSTICE was not done to Father Petrus.

* PLEASE reinstate Father Petrus. He's God's called servant.

* WINDHOEK City traffic PRO, you are wasting taxpayers funds by phoning in every morning to the Chat Show * WE students at Unam are sick and tired of class cancellations. How are we going to pass? Nujoma, say something, Comrade. - Mafasu Akapelwa

'Son Of The Soil'

* SWAPO here's a deal. Fair recruitment in the NDF for the votes of our youth. Mr Ngurare I want to watch 'Gardener's Daughter', you delay my viewing time with your yapping.

* I'M inspired by Ngurare in politics. If one follows his politics on world affairs, you will really realise how wide he is. Last December he talked about Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine and so on. Keep on educating Namibians thank you.

On And From The Regions

* CENORED or NamPower has to investigate the poor distribution of electricity to Khorixas. The power once again went off in the early hours of Monday and by nine on Monday morning Khorixas did not have power. The two companies have to solve the problem

* IS the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister aware of the problems the San development students are having?

* COMRADE Ndilula knows the problems facing Omundudu constituency, he should just act! Omundudu is always cut off during the rainy season! We don't need to go to his office to beg him or what?

Politics In General

* WHO taught whom? Burmese gangsters seize food aid. They've got a referendum to hold. When you've got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow. Stand aside Crazy Bob, you've got competition. By the way Pick 'n Pay sell their Cherokee clothing line from RSA, which is manufactured under slave conditions in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) but really, who cares. Obviously Pick 'n Pay doesn't. I burnt my shirts in disgust.

* WHETHER right or wrong ECN will continue to try and please Swapo. We fear about the 2009 election credibility. Surely we are going Zim's way. Wake up Namibia

* MOST people do not understand politics and democracy. They create confusion and hatred in the nation. Our leaders must stand up and do something while it's not too late. I am very worried about the current political situation in our country. - Nauta, Okatale

Consumed By Service Woes

* NEDBANK does not even offer cellphone banking to their clients, yet they are welcoming Absa Bank? You are damn good at swallowing your pride! - Mr Need Betta Service

* STANDARD Bank at Maerua Mall, your service was not up to standard yesterday. A long queue developed late morning as the two sole tellers dealt with two customers for well over 20 minutes, some say 30 - bonds formed, people got married, their offspring had children: in short, it felt like a lifetime! At least five frustrated people emigrated, i.e. left the queue, tired of being extras in 'From Here To Eternity'. One man suggested we might as well get the t-shirt for the experience: 'I Queued'. Another customer eventually approached the staff at the enquiries desk and suggested that the manager be alerted to the delay and customer frustration. She was laughingly told that there was no manager, and the other teller had gone on early lunch. Maybe that was the problem - not having a manager - as it seemed that teller Number One was dealing with an enquiry (two people were operating at the enquiries desk). No business transaction appeared to be taking place [not saying it wasn't] between Number One and his client. They could have been checking out 'Grand Theft Auto', channeling funds to the Cayman Islands or making a contribution to [US presidential hopeful] Barack Obama's election given the minimal and vague interaction between them. When Number One's delay mechanic left, customers were surprised to see him head straight for the security store opposite the bank - turned out he's an employee there. Don't want to get anybody into trouble (maybe they were doing the best they know how), but please pay attention to the frustrations of your customers, don't ignore them.

* MTC If I see "message sending failed" or hear "this number is currently not reachable" again, I'm going, taking my friends, family, relatives and my business associates with me. Makes me wonder is it still "making the connection" or "fooling the connection"?

* NBC, so early on Saturday morning we still are subjected to CCTV, though you start with AU and the National Anthems. Is CCTV African? What a blunder? Change that myopic Board of Directors

* IF Absa brings all the services they offer in SA to Namibia, they will take half of clientele from each of the existing banks. Be very afraid.

Zimbabwe

* WE must face the reality; Mugabe is a god incarnated for most Africans. If you chased whites out you are the one. We are facing a disastrous future and there is no force to change it.

* BARBARA of Zimbabwe, thank you for your contribution to The Namibian. Mbeki: "crisis, what crisis?" Ngurare: "election, what election?" - Jacques

Letters Of The Last 48 Hours

•  SMSes Of The Day : Monday