SMS Of Monday 10 August 2009

* IT is election time again and all political parties are vying for votes, especially the votes of born-frees and the youth at large. However, the question one would ask our young electorate is, are you going to vote to maintain the status quo of corruption and covering up of corrupt practices and corrupt officials or are you going to vote for change? The future of Namibia and your own future depend on your vote. So go and register and vote wisely.

Food For Thought
* PLEASE Namibian people, let’s care and comfort the widows. One of my friends passed away last year and the family took everything and forgot the poor widow. She was left with nothing. Just imagine what the poor widow is going through. She first lost her beloved husband and then her property. Have mercy for widows. Please take care of them.

* CONSTITUTIONAL Court Justice Albie Sachs wrote: “I am not a victim seeking revenge or compensation or sympathy, but someone who has voluntarily engaged myself in a freedom struggle”. Our leaders compensate themselves when ever they can. Latest farm Ongombo East.

Bouquets And Brickbats
* CONGRATULATIONS eye specialist Doctor Helen Ndume for what you have done in the Okavango Region but the elderly say they need your service in the Omusati Region too, especially at Okahao.

* LONG Live Dr Helen Ndume for the great work you’re doing for our people. God bless you so much. Oyewetu.
n DEAR Mr PG van der Walt, I had the privilege to attend your solo exhibition recently. In my opinion, the paintings were a masterpiece of your inventive ingenuity and simply the best. The youth of Namibia can proudly emulate your spectacular artistic talents. Congratulations.
– Dr Elijah Ngurare

* I WOULD like to commend the maternity ward nursing staff at Swakopmund State Hospital. Keep up with the good work. If only nurses elsewhere could learn from you.
– Iiyambo

* OLD Mutual this is not fair. Why are your bursary forms only available in Windhoek? What about other regions?

* NBC TV please always stick to your schedule that you give to the media. What happened to ‘Tate Penda’? And where does ‘Madela’s Day’ come from, if there was even absolute zero.
– Worried

Politics
* WHY is it that the access to the RDP website is blocked for public servants but the Swapo website is open? What does it mean? Block both or open both.

* MR Swartbooi of SPYL did not cross the line on Ongombo. Ministers are not immune from criticism. Its true Minister !Naruseb has a hands-on approach on matters. But this time, just like Swartbooi said there is a double standard in GRN action. Why did GRN use Article 16 of our Constitution to ask the court to issue the order? The same GRN ignored Articles 10 & 19 on Natis’s Damara-Nama clicks. All international protocols are subject to our Constitution. Violation of the latter articles was not important while 16 now it seems is, no double standard here? And for struggle kids, shebeen owners, O-Region farmers who went into Kavango, there was compassion. Again no double standard? In fact I also blame the President for that action as ministers report to him!

* SPY Bill: The opposition parties’ walkout three weeks ago was uncalled for. They seem not to understand the meanings of may and shall. If the Swapo MPs are proposing that the clause should read as “that a warrant may be obtained” it means that warrant will only be obtained if all the probabilities are proven and not by force. But should the clause read as “shall be obtained” as proposed by the opposition parties, it translates as a must and force should be used without putting all probabilities on scale. Viva Swapo MPs you know what you are in the House, Aluta!
– Gwangendjo

The RP’s Henk Mudge

* HON Henk Mudge of the Republican Party in Namibia, thank you for being the voice of the voiceless. The pardon and release of all Namibian political detainees from the Caprivi Region will be in Namibia’s best interest leading to national unity. Our President, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, must spearhead the notion of peace and reconciliation on the Caprivi political standstill.

* HERE, elections do not exist! Only the political parties elect and people go to acknowledge. So, MPs and councillors do not report to people but to their clubs. So it goes when it comes to the interests they must defend. So, people should elect not for political clubs but people who will work for and defend their interests. This will be the real change to put an end to the sleeping during important meetings. Please, do not vote for us but let us vote.

Happy Birthday
* HAPPY birthday to Bishop Zephania Kameeta, may the Lord bless you. We the Lutheran congregation at large are proud to have you as a leader. I wish you a long life.

Land
* IN Germany no German citizen has a right to land, they have to buy it. Nor in the rest of Europe, Japan, USA, Russia or most countries in the world. Where does this concept of ‘right to land’ originate from? Try it in Egypt or Argentina. See how far you get!
* HOW many landless Namibians do we have, and how many of them want to lay claims to their ancestral land? If none of us can come up with an answer then the Ongombo West invasion doesn’t hold water, because all of us have been misplaced.
– Yours Kavija

* RESETTLEMENT and Mr (Alfred) Angula (August 7). The land issue started – in earnest – after Independence while education has been catered for longer. Future generations will require land for self-sustainability, be it in a rural or urban setting or whether they are educated or not. Our Government has resources for both.

General
* OSHO, why go home with a GRN official car? Leave it in the office garage, just use it during office hours! Use your own car before work, lunchtime, after work. Legal! Alcohol to under 12s: Solution = alcohol must be banned!

* REGARDING the article on page 3 of Friday’s paper: if a robbery suspect attempted to hide in a vat of chocolate I would agree that he had a “sticky end” but since he hid in a sewage pipe I would rather think his end was stinky.
– It was! But coming to a sticky end is a turn of phrase well suited to that situation. – Newdesk

* WE are all human beings, even those who do crime. It’s not fair that those guys who are in custody at the Windhoek Police Station (town police station), who are trial-awaiting inmates, haven’t eaten for almost three day now (Thursday). I work there and I know. So Ombudsman do something.
– Concerned Police

* IS it not questionable that for the past 10 years only the same two companies have received the cleaning tenders at the Polytech?

City Fathers Please ...
* MR Kanime and City of Windhoek please number all the taxis and give them one colour for easy identification.

* I AM seriously confused by some notices set up by the City of Windhoek. The one in Clemens Kapuuo Street in front of the then Rössing Foundation library reads “no obstruction no loitering no begging”, etc, and lastly it says “by order town clerk”. The opposite is currently happening there and on the side way around Woermann Brock, Katutura. Almost the entire area is occupied by sidewalk sellers pushing their items in your face which sometimes end up in insults which may lead to harassment and physical fights. Please do something

* ONE cannot understand why the City spends so much on entertainment while its employees can’t even afford to buy a house. The City Police are renting all over in Windhoek. Take care of your employees.

* PLEASE Mr Kanime, make sure that the public transport system is safe and more reliable more than anything. Make sure that our taxi drivers are more civil towards their passengers and other motorists, pedestrians. Taxi drivers need to show better manners. Please Mr Kanime take care!

Taxi Talk
* SINCE 2000 Nabta has promised: All legal taxis will have a fixed taxi sign on the roof as well as its own number! It’s 2009, it still hasn’t happened! (I’ve been a taxi commuter since 1988, that’s why I remember!) At present, you support crime!

* THE taxi debacle will not go away unless it is firmly controlled. Whilst visiting New York a few years ago, I took note of how they have solved the problem. On registration the authorities affix an official metal badge of the city to the hood of the vehicle, in addition to the light unit on the roof. The badge, which looks like a very large coin, is issued by the city and is fixed to the bonnet through a hole, locked with a nut and a lead seal inside the engine bay. Anybody entering a taxi need only glance at the bonnet to be certain they are getting into a legal taxi. It is difficult to hide the badge if the vehicle is used illegally as it cannot be removed. The police can routinely check the badge number with the taxis papers. The seal is checked and the badge is confiscated if any transgression is observed rendering the taxi useless.
– Stefan

Health Matters

Health Minister Dr Richard Kamwi

* DR Richard Kamwi please answer us. Wanaheda clinic is only treating 60 people a day, the rest must go back home no matter how sick you are! Is that your policy?

Education
* WHEN will the Ministry of Education pay for our tuition fees? It’s been months since our names were published that we got loans, but until now nothing has been paid. Do you really want us young Namibians to contribute to Vision 2030? If you really do, pay the loans and we can study to become nurses, doctors, engineers, lawyers and to many to mention that will contribute to our vision 2030. Education is the major channel to Vision 2030 and you are our leaders to the vision. Make a Change.
– Concerned Unam student, Nelly

Labour Issues
* MR Usiku targets Pupkewitz on AA. What about Chinese companies?

* WITH shock I can’t believe that Wilbard Uusiku (EEC ) finds it wrong for Pupkewitz to employ whites in top positions, is it not what the GRN is practising now ? Do we have a white minister? Are there top whites in the office of the President or in GRN ministries, if so which one? Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house. What goes around comes around. Leave kuku Harold out and start with your office followed by the government.

* TO Mr Harold Pupkewitz, as a black person I totally respect your position on appointments in your company. Your benchmark is: can the person do the job or not? Nothing more, nothing less. The Ausikus pretend to represent the black previously disadvantaged. It is a smokescreen. If you sir appoint one rightly connected black manager from the entire pool of presently advantaged it will carry more weight than the appointment of three black managers from the wrong group/clique. Let Ausiku define previously disadvantaged.

* CAN somebody tell what happened to (APS) Africa Personnel Service? Is the Government doing something? Our brothers and sisters are suffering.
– JK kaushiweni@yahoo.com
 
* WE the workers of RCC, we are tired of waiting for our increases.

Running The Show
* PLEASE, Honourable Minister Nghidinwa, could you speed up the process of issuing national documents. The nation fails to understand why they have to wait for months or years to receive their documents. The election will take place in November and yet some of us do not have required documents. Some senior citizens are not yet registered for social grants because they were sent back to the Home Affairs Ministry with their birth certificates to be corrected (names wrongly spelled). Duplicates are issued in Windhoek only and a person was told to collect his/her duplicate birth certificate after three months at the regional office. After three to nine months no duplicate is issued. A senior citizen has to spend a lot of money for transport and for the person who will take her/him to the office which is 98 km from their village. In this case the senior citizen is always borrowing money from neighbours with the intention of refunding after receiving monthly social grant. Why can’t duplicates of birth certificates be done at the regional offices to save money for the poor? Please hear our prayer.

* HONOURABLE (Nickey) Iyambo can integrate the 200 former Police reservists into a separate unit to guard hospitals, school hostels, GRN offices like the former Civic Affairs security. Please, it will help to curb crime.

Service Please
* WHAT is the point of having a Telecom Namibia office that won’t sell Telecom cards? Wake up Telecom. Why should I go and wait for 20 minutes at the Post Office because you can’t do your job? Klein Windhoek office, August 6.

* POOR service at Tsumeb NamPost. Please Postmaster encourage your staff to be flexible and efficient please.

* OKAHANDJA FNB, every end of the month, they only have N$10 banknotes at ATMs and withdrawal is limited to N$400 only. What a good way of making money!
– L Nangolo

* STANDARD Bank Oshakati branch, please improve your service. How can one wait for months waiting for the house process to finish while wasting money on renting. Tell us to go to other banks if you don’t want to help us. We are always told no evaluator. Until when? We need answers from Oshakati Standard Bank (Game)

In And From the Regions
WE the (now defunct) Keetmanshoop Environmental Club never complained about dirty streets or graveyards. We cleaned them voluntarily. So Namibians stop moaning about dirty streets, graveyards, Heroes’ Acre, etc, and be the change you want in your community.
– Well said. Sorry to hear, though, the your Environmental Club is now defunct. – News Editor

* THE Government must stop neglecting Omega. I mean limited water, limited electricity. Bear in mind that there are public servants there. All the politicians are aware of this situation but opted to ignore us. It is good for you, but not fair to us!
– Hopeless civil servant

* ONGWEDIVA Town Council are you there for the good of the Namibian people? Don’t remove the constructed houses at Omatando, better say the farm owner must stop selling plots and those must remain. Do you know how much building materials are today?

The Scales of Justice

* WHERE exactly can I go and read for myself about a particular Namibian law or act? I am at Odibo.
– Could your Regional Councillor perhaps help? – News Editor

* WE in Rundu have no place to dump our garden refuse. There is no more space in our yards to dig holes to bury the refuse, and if we dump it ourselves in the bushes on top of other refuse, then we get threatened and told we are going to get a fine if we dump our stuff. What are we supposed to do?
n PLEASE, we lack street lights here in Safari suburb, Rundu, Independence Avenue. Kids are soft targets these days. Please Rundu Councillors do something!

* WE residents of Mangetti Dune in Tsumkwe constituency, we need an MTC network connection within our area.

* IS it fair to pay N$1 for your ID. Here in Otavi people were forced to pay by the Secretary of the Regional Council Office.

* WE need a gravel road here at Iimanya Combined School and Onakazizi clinic, which will connect that of Omuntele and that of Olukonda to B1 road, please!
– Radical

* PLEASE Roshkor of Rosh Pinah, open the electricity for us. Our kids are walking in darkness from Tutungeni to attend classes in town, which is very unsafe. Please address this issue, because they are the leaders of tomorrow.

* PLEASE Ministry of Education Omusati do something. At Uutsathima Combined School there is no water and our children are falling in a very deep well for water and there is a hostel. Please NBC go there and check how learners are suffering!

Lost And Found
* MR PH Mushindi your driver’s licence has been found. Please call 081-299-7583.

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