SMSes for Mon 22 Dec 08
* NFA and PLS and especially teams from the North be advised that Fifa does not allow supporters to wear their political parties’ T-shirts, caps or scarves at the stadium. – Kamati
Food For Thought
* THE country’s blood reserves are dangerously low. Healthy Grade 12s should all be busy donating blood, the gift of life. If volunteers are not found quickly, incentives should do the trick. How about a hot meal for each 500 ml? Or a little cash? Just an idea. – A Buchter
* TO save lives, give all drivers at roadblocks a ticket with time of arrival, to hand over at next roadblock and give a fine for driving over the speed limit.
Bouquets And Brickbats
* I WOULD like to thank the Maranatha Seventh Day Adventist church for what they have done for the elders of Katutura! Thank you for the groceries and the wonderful song. May God bless you. – Auntie Sanna Tobias
* IT was only yesterday that I found out how my son in South Africa put a credit into my cell as a birthday present. A kindly lady at MTC did it for him. He was most impressed. So am I and getting a lot of pleasure out of my present. Thank you.
* OFFICIAL complaint from Profile Namibia: The cartoon you published on 18/12/08 on page 4, is an insult to motherhood (which is a proud profession) as well as to children (who are special blessings from above – our heritage from God, our Heavenly Father). True respect and a safer tomorrow for woman and children, will never be achieved by the debasement of motherhood or by the devaluation of children! “If only we realised the power that lies in our seed maybe we would not crush it.” – Sikh Slangy
Zimbabwe
* A FEW weeks ago Morgan Tsvangirai declared that African leaders lacked the courage to speak out against (President Robert) Mugabe. This swiftly attracted sharp criticism and censure from those who rebuked him for pandering to the dictates of his masters. Now Mugabe has said it himself that no African leader is brave enough to challenge him. What are you going to say now Mr (Thane) Zambezi? It’s true, admit it! – Zvazviri, Opuwo
* ALL hail R G Mugabe for his expertise in the fields of financial incompetence, economic ineptness and stupidity. Thanks to Bob Zimbabwe now holds the world record for the highest rate inflation ever in the world at 250 million per cent. Mugabe will go down in history for contributing to the suffering of Zimbabweans through his single-minded diligence in the torture, murder and beating of unarmed innocent people. No wonder he messed up Zimbabwe thinking that Zimbabwe belonged to him. – Kamati
* WHEN we listen the speech of Robert Mugabe on CNN then I think we should stop allowing Zimbabwe’s people into Namibia and other African countries. They must go back to their country. As for their leader, there is nothing wrong in their country. They come to Namibia while we also live in poverty and a high unemployment rate. According to Mugabe there are enough resources and the British people are after that. So as a concerned Namibian, who is raising the next generation, I am also concerned about the wealth and resources of Namibia that are taken out of our country. Let all the African Union leaders come together and help the youth in Zimbabwe to save their country for their next generation. Our next generation will face the same situation if there is no solution for Zimbabwe. Mugabe ruled the country into poverty. Why are our leaders quiet about that? Is that what will happen in Namibia? Because you are known by your friends.
* ALLOW me space in your newspaper to air my views concerning the Zimbabwean issue. We must never forget to be united as Africans, no matter what the situation might be. We must also not forget that lot of Zimbabweans sacrificed to get that country independent from a colonial regime. Some even paid with their lives, which is for me the biggest sacrifice anyone could ever have offered. Now, coming back to the prevailing situation there is saying that goes: “Don’t try to put on a shoe that does not fit you”. I am confident that Zimbabweans will find a way to overcome all those challenges and become one of the economic powerhouses of Africa in near future. Let us give them room, but assist them in their needs for them to make success of these so called bad prevailing situations and please, leave the founding father of Namibia out of this. It is because of his wisdom and leadership that you see bad things on the other side and not this side. He is retired and wants to be happy and peaceful. He does not have to comment on Zimbabwe. Let him be. – Paul Ruiter, Windhoek
Taxi Talk
* I AM very worried about the recent taxi goings-on as my daughter often uses them. I fully agree that not only would one colour be safer, they would be more easily visible. To help, taxi owners could be given up to six months to comply and maybe the Ministry of Mines and Energy could subsidise the really struggling taxi drivers.
* IT’S unfair, the kilometres from Windhoek to Oshakati and from Windhoek to Karasburg are almost the same but we are paying N$220 to Karasburg and they are N$160. Can Nabta tell me why?
Who Should Help
* SHOULD one beg the public to donate money for a one-year-old heart sufferer? Which part of a person’s well-being is Government responsible for?
General
* PLEASE people will you leave the Father of the Nation (Sam Nujoma) to enjoy his retirement in peace. – Helen, Okahao.
* UNITRANS – the only transport company for Shell, BP and Engen and their fuel deliveries are always delayed. Some filling stations in the North and customers suffer losses because of delayed deliveries of fuel. According to fuel depots in Tsumeb fuel is loaded at time on TransNamib tanks but it takes two to five days to be delivered to a filling station in Ondangwa or Oshakati. Are the TransNamib authorities aware of the situation? If you try to ask a specific driver when he will turn up he will answer you that he is employed only by Unitrans not by you. But I am buying fuel from the oil company. I am not getting it for free! On top of that TransNamib has an agreement with the oil companies to deliver not to cause losses.
* THE Government is looking for trouble! Why is it that when veterans complain their concerns are considered but with Police salary adjustments, the Government ignores us.
* HOW about night-vision cameras for speed devils? Then the speed traps could operate night and day. Now the drivers can speed under the cover of night. – KT, Keetmanshoop
* WHAT? The President (Hifikepunye Pohamba) is definitely not serious, a salary increment for only the Prime Minister and Ministers, while we the civil servants go hungry? So the rich get richer and the poor get poorer!
* FIRST of all let me thank you for having created this platform where we can air our views and opinions. Mine is a humble request to the Editor, if possible, to publish formulas used to calculate tax on basic salaries and how it is calculated on bonus and fringe benefits. For example, how much tax will someone earning N$3 000 pay? This will be of beneficial to most of us who don’t know how tax is calculated.
* I SUPPORT the idea of building highway, it’s costly but in the long run the future generations will be safe and praise us for job well done! Let’s us be creative please. – Kanamutenya
In And From
The Regions
* HELP me to pass this news on the SMS list. NamWater please can you go to the big pipe of water which is close to the main T Junction road for Rossmund Lodge Golf Club. If you go to the west side of the said main road where the pipe goes from Arandis to Swakopmund, water is leaking there much and I think it is the gasket or a silicone problem. – In Co-operation, Comrade E Shuundeni, Walvis Bay
* ROADS Authority please re-open test centre for learner’s and driver’s licences in Rehoboth because it’s chaos in Windhoek with all the people who have to go there
* THE municipality of Eenhana: please we are tired of the darkness between Chico building material supplies and Eenhana hospital, do some thing immediately about street lamps please.
* DECENTRALISATION needed, Uutsathima area in Ongandjera district has no clean water, no gravel road and no network. Governor how do you feel? We are tired of this situation! – Angry Steven
* MINISTER of Safety and Security please consider building a prison in Katima Mulilo. Long distances for prison officers to travel from Katima to Oluno has resulted in a fatal accident.
* SOMEONE years ago planted trees (tall trees) alongside the beautiful Okahandja River. But the woodcarvers are cutting trees. With permission from whom? Care about the environment please. What about taxing the culprits? And stop the vandalism? They are deforesting the area of trees planted with a scientific purpose in mind. First find out why before destroying. Our leaders act please for the sake of the history of Okahandja.
* TSUMKWE has become deteriorated, in terms of tribal ethnic divisions, political indifference and misuse of GRN vehicles (drinking and driving). Prime Minister can you please tell us, how much budget has been allocated to each Ministry for each month-end’s shopping from Tsumkwe to Grootfontein? Is it permitted to lift another Ministry’s staff. Is it not corruption? Thanks.– PM.
Message of Condolence
* I WISH to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the family of the late Patrick Jagger and Orlando Pirates. We lost a real talent. May his soul rest in peace.– PE Jemba
ACC Alert
* Kunene Regional Council. Khorixas, Sesfontein and Opuwo GRN vehicles are being misused during weekends and after hours but the Police are doing nothing.
* ACC should investigate the recent exams. Regions which traditionally did well all of a sudden are doing very poorly. What is going on? Please reply
* PLEASE NBC director general tell us what measures are in place at the TV licence department to ensure that the money we are paying is not being stolen? There are allegations that there is absolutely no control over that money. Please Anti-Corruption Commission intervene.
Service Please
* MTC Please consider your contract customers with Xmas specials. (Tango specials)
* I WANT to pick up on the issue of taxi crimes and – besides the obvious cases of theft and robbery – use this term for another, much more political case. I think it’s questionable that politicians belonging to a party that calls itself ‘socialistic’ make money out of the taxi business instead of trying to establish a proper public transport system.
* DEAR Namibian: my concern today is a well-known bar in Klein Windhoek, Funkylab! It’s so hot inside that most of the customers spend their entire Thursday nights outside. Dear owner, do something about this matter! We like going and supporting you business, so please think about fixing this problem.
* PICK ‘n Pay it seems like your prices are going up almost every day, while other shops are lowering their prices.
Education
* I HAVE a big and crucial concern about the Grade 10 results that are only available via SMS. We urgently request the Ministry of Education to publish the results in local newspapers because not all of us have cellphones and access to the Internet. On behalf of all Namibians I suggest that you take this matter seriously and feedback is awaited.
– Helena