SMSes for Wed 01 Apr 09
* THANK you NamWater! I am a resident of Ongwediva and I wish to thank NamWater for a job well done. I have no mandate from my fellow residents but I wish to do it on their behalf as well. I wish to thank you on behalf of the students in the College of Education hostel, the learners in the hostels in the secondary schools as well as those in the VTC – and on behalf of whose water was cut off because of non-payment. The job you did is appreciated as it was done under pressure but it was done with diligence and professionalism. The water stoppage apparently took place at or close to the Kandjengedi bridge, deep under the fast-running water. You managed to put up a bypass pipe over the bridge – professional indeed. While some of your staff were doing that, the others were delivering water to the residents using water tankers. Apparently some of your tankers’ staff were insulted but they handled the situation diligently. To cut the story short, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Food For Thought
* I AGREE with Mr (Johan) de Waal’s contribution to the budget as published in The Namibian of March 26. But I am afraid Swapo members will not listen. For as they grow fatter and the masses grow leaner, as our economy is grossly mismanaged, our treasury looted and in the face of a growing tendency by some in Swapo to emasculate our political and human rights, I have come to the conclusion that what is wrong with us, is us. Our socio-economic development is characterised by inefficiency and abysmally poor care at our health and education institutions, our agricultural production is in decline, our infrastructure is decaying, our public service is corruption plagued and our moral values are being compromised by greed and a culture of materialism. Mr De Waal has exposed that the Government has their priorities misplaced.
* THERE are no visible attempts or plans to electrify Africa with “green nuclear technology”, if there’s ever such a thing, except extraction of uranium oxide. In reality mining irreparably destroys nature and pollutes underground water in Namibia. Predictions that uranium will take Namibia out of the economic slump are a fable at best. These days I take economists’ forecasts with a pinch of salt. The Ombudsman needs to investigate comments and statements made by economists. Their forecasts in many cases have failed to materialise, leading to disinvestment and job losses, poverty and environmental degradation.
Bouquets And Brickbats
* CONGRATULATIONS to Namibia’s political icon, Uncle Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, who was on Friday, March 27, given South Africa’s second highest honour, namely the Order of the Grand Companions of OR Tambo: Silver. As a Namibian, I feel proud and accredited when Ya Toivo ranks amongst other international, liberation icons, like Fidel Castro of Cuba, Agostino Neto of Angola and Julius M Nyerere of Tanzania. South Africa must be commended for that award. Unfortunately, Namibia as a country does not see the need to recognise him. ‘A prophet is never recognised in his own land,’ the saying goes. I salute Ya Toivo! – Steven Mvula
* CONGRATS and a big thank you to Dr Hage Geingob for being the diplomat of Swapo. You are indeed a torchbearer for many cadres. Keep on teaching Namibia what democracy means.
* THANK you to the staff of Bank Windhoek Wernhil branch for your friendly and efficient service. You set an excellent example!
* THANK you so much The Namibian for partnering with others to bring to us the ‘Election Watch’ insert! I asked you to give us voter education a week or two ago, and you did!
Politics
* DURING the apartheid regime, it was puppets, terrorists and spies. After Independence, it is hibernators, reactionaries, opportunists, enemies, house geckos and cockroaches.
* I WISH 100 years could pass now so that the new generation could come and focus on new issues. We are tired of listening to personal issues among the politicians of today. The same stories at every rally and each year at national events. Don’t we know that sharing is what Jesus taught us? Stop the hating and start sharing the freedom. Let’s share the fruits of this country and act like everyone has contributed to the liberation of this country and we might just see the world do the same. Let’s set examples. – Chacklas
* THE Swapo youth is surely busy destroying the party and causing lots of public anger against the party and its leaders. These people are making lots of stupid statements that are divisive against the veteran party cadres. Does the Swapo Party not have internal procedures for handling its matters amicably? We are tired of SPYL irrationality. The future of this country looks very dark with such people.
* VEIKKO Nekundi wants to be alone in Swapo and [Elijah] Ngurare now realises that education is not fine in Namibia. But only now. Why only after the warning from the President?
* MR Elijah Ngurare you should start eating your own words. As long as the Tanga-cum-Omusati clique remains politically entrenched forget about finding solutions to the problem of dilapidated classrooms in your entire lifetime.
* A SUCCESSFUL President and government of any nation is the one who/which creates jobs, offers better housing to all, attracts investments, offers good education, reduces crime, does not threaten the media, offers hope to the youth and offers good leadership while the unsuccessful one is one which cannot provide the above. Wake up! Forget the flagging politics. – Kamati
Politics In General
* THE free world should not take part at the Soccer World Cup in SA. They can instead have a tournament of friendship with Zimbabwe, China, North Korea, Sudan etc. The Dalai Lama is a freedom fighter like Madiba but as we all know the ANC government is just afraid of the big brother in Beijing. Cheap plastic toys in exchange for exploiting our natural and human resources. What a great deal! Congratulations comrades and keep it up.
Education
* IT’S too much: Suiderhof Primary School, every week parents receive a letter asking for money, donations etc. Poor us!
* DEAR Honourable President Pohamba, Comrade Minister of Education. Are you not worried about the many teachers being councillors spending so much time away from school? Walvis Bay for example has three teachers who have regular meetings every Tuesday. One whole day every week they are not at school. So no conducive learning for +- 200 learners per day per teacher. Devastating. What will you do about it?
Labour Issues
* NAMIBIANS stand together and make the Chinese business people pay tax and treat their Namibian employees according to the Namibian Labour Law!
* PEOPLE must start up heavy vehicle driving schools. They can make lots of money. Most of us want code CE licences to get jobs as truck drivers. So please help us!
* PLEASE Air Namibia or Labour Office or ACC please do something. How can somebody work over 15 hours in one day and no overtime? And pregnant women work this long at Hosea Kutako airport. Please help us.
* WE workers of TransNamib want to know why the CEO verdict takes so long? Can the chairman of the disciplinary hearing Mr Clement Daniels tell the workers and the Namibian nation.
General
* PLEASE ACC tell the nation how far the Police have got with the Magistrate Kanime bombing investigation.
* ALL of the SADC countries except RSA and Botswana do not balance their economies on taxes but on aid from the West mainly USA and EU countries, so where is this SADC money for Zimbabwe supposed to come from? – Kamati
* NEWSDESK can you please find out for me from the Electoral Commission how one can apply to help count the ballots in the November election. We just don’t want to see people already there with out any advertisement please. Komesho!
* JUST a point of correction: Hon (McHenry) Venaani, through his oration at the occasion held in Okakarara in memory of Chief C M Kapuuo, said Indira Gandhi is Mahatma Gandhi’s daughter, which she is not. Indira is Jawaharlal Nehru’s daughter.
* NAMIBIA may lose the Africa Growth Opportunity Act free duty to the USA well because of the closure of Ramatex Namibia. Over N$1 billion sales per annum. – Ramatex was involved in the production of textiles. The AGOA agreement was not confined to textiles but also included other finished products, as well as grapes, meat etc. – Newsdesk
High Flyers
* THE Air Namibia flight from Frankfurt was delayed for 13 hours on Sunday. Why again? Because instead of leasing a new, well-maintained aircraft, management leased an ancient plane that should have been scrapped and fooled the taxpayers that a bargain was made! All fine for a year or so, and now the plane is falling apart, and management reaps fat salaries! Lease a decent plane like a Boeing, and do not go cheapskate!
* THANKS Mr Johan de Waal for your input on Air Namibia. – Jimmo What Ball
In And From the Regions
* I FAIL to understand what’ s going on with our youth. In Okahandja, you will find 11, 12-year-old kids drunk, wandering in the streets. (Veddersdal). The question is “Waar is die ouers?” Maybe they already passed out. This is serious. Let’s do something. – Very concerned parent
* A MAROON Toyota Yaris with tinted windows is driven almost every weekend in town by a 14-year-old. Can the owner, a woman, please tell him to stop! Please. – Otjiwarongo resident
* HAPPY Birthday all of us Namibians on reaching 19 years of Independence. Now what we as residents need to do, is to give good ideas to our leaders in their different positions on how and what they can do or bring to us as an example of development. Long Live The Land of the Brave! – Cde E Shuundeni, Walvis Bay
* I WOULD like to know if there are people with, or who gain, more rights than others? Definitely no one! We’ve been here in Oniipa in Oniihandi since 1990, and we are always asking our council to give us electricity. But as I’m standing here right know we’ve got nothing to take us on dark nights. We are sick and tired of living in darkness. We are like in Iraq where electricity is destroyed. People say every cloud has a silver lining but it seems like we don’t. Bring electricity to our houses at Olukanda lwa Mufo.
* THE Rundu Housing Committee is hereby requested to explain to the residents of Rundu why some retired and or dismissed Government officials are still occupying Government houses. Do they pay house rent?
Service Please
* PANAROTTI’S, I ordered a Mexican pizza from you. It was so tasteless and maybe unfinished that I had to throw away my N$70 for nothing. Management do something.
Price Pain
* NAMIBIA Beverages, this is daylight robbery. Imagine paying N$22 for a 2-litre coke at Engen across from Angola House. I will stick to water.