SMSes For Fri 20 Feb 09
* MR Goagoseb [Home Affairs], it is every Namibian citizen’s fundamental Constitutional right to apply for and hold a passport whenever they want. Which means they can go and come as they wish. – Tura
* AS the British have a cup of tea for every problem, Namibia is holding a workshop for every problem. Both are equally useless. – Derek
Food For Thought
* I HAVE my own suggestion to all political parties. Whenever you call us for a rally please allow people to ask you questions on how your party plans to bring changes to this country and not only listen and listen to the same old phrases of the last 18 years. Like most Namibians, I have never heard any leader say they have a solution for the Grade 10s and 12s. Not even the President mentioned anything about that. Moreover, can’t our leaders see how election campaigns are done from previous United States elections? If my Swapo leaders do not say what went wrong and only say what went well, then this year won’t be as those 18 years. What we feed our family with is food and not promises. At this stage I see Namibia as a country doing well, but not as well as it should be.
Politics
* SHAME on you (Trade) Minister Hage Geingob. This morning in your interview with Radio Kosmos you said we must start building schools everywhere as it is shameful that there are children still receiving schooling under trees. You must have a very short memory. Way back during the budget debate in Parliament on the construction of the new State House, you, then as Prime Minister, argued that the Government had achieved its strategic objectives for the first 10 years of governance, among them accessible education for all. For some of us our memory did not fail us.
* LET’S talk politics: with all criticism aside, our country is doing better than a lot of countries on the following: managing corruption, stabilising the economy, respecting democracy, investment (Robin Sherbourne will tell you more), etc. Which means that although the Swapo Government is not perfect, it is doing a decent job of managing the affairs of our country. As voters, we need to hear what RDP is going to do that is different. Can RDP please sell their party to us the voters and stop wasting their time on ‘Swapo did this and Swapo did that’. We want to hear why we should vote for them instead of voting for Swapo.
Equality?
* TO the SMS writer who questioned women’s empowerment and equality over the fact that his uncle’s wife couldn’t prepare lunch for that particular day? It’s exactly because of that mentality there is no equality. Surely he and his uncle can boil an egg or would they rather starve?
* YOU who moaned that your uncle wasn’t served lunch. Is your uncle lame or why couldn’t he cook his own lunch? Doesn’t he know how or is he just spoiled?
* I SUPPORT the idea of a Men’s Protection Unit. It takes two to tango. Those women who are no longer with the fathers of their children should stop abusing those fathers. You equally failed to avoid unplanned pregnancy. The best is to appreciate that those fathers are involved in their children’s’ lives. Move on, as they have done so.
* THIS is a piece of advice to a certain Queen Latifah who suggests that men have a protection unit. It seems that she is an insecure stepmom, she must seek help.
Getting Personal
* DEAR Editor please allow me to lodge a complaint to the Ombudsman’s office as the authority mandated by article 25 (2) of the Constitution to assist regarding the below mentioned articles. Dear Ombudsman, the Roads Authority (Natis) is violating articles 10 and or 19 of the Constitution by prohibiting Damara/Nama-speaking people to use their symbols (e.g. !, // etc) on their personalised number plates. We would be glad if you could assist us to “enjoy, practice, and promote our culture, language and tradition” as per article 19 of Chapter 3. And we are not only talking about the Constitution but chapter 3. If Home Affairs can enable us, so can they!
General
* NAMIBIA let us stop blaming the current town councils about poor planning and blah, blah, because these guys do not have capacity to build infrastructure to divert or prevent flooding in their towns. The central Government should support these municipalities to build basic infrastructure, otherwise cholera and other diseases might break out and it will be a national disaster. – Thikama
To the City Fathers
* WE need Hwangho Street tarred. Imagine it’s one of the oldest streets in Windhoek but there is still no development. We have informed our council. Our houses are under stones and water when it rains. The Municipality must do something because when it comes to cutting off our water or electricity they don’t hesitate. – Elago
* CITY of Windhoek. Please set up a speed bump near the Engen Service Station in Mahatma Gandhi Street.
* WINDHOEK Municipality please check the spelling of your new displayed street names. The letters are also too small to read. – Citizen
Bouquets And Brickbats
* I LIKED Wednesday’s ‘Open Line’ programme because it was about economics and free from politics. Down politics, viva economy!
* SOUTH African Airways is a becoming a disgrace. I travelled on the airline on Sunday, February 15, to RSA only to discover on arrival my baggage was raided and I had lost my perfume. On my return on Wednesday, February 18, I was with Government officials whose bags were torn apart and looted. I will think twice next time I travel. I guess I should have used Air Namibia anyway. – Migrating Customer
* WHY does Namfisa exist? They can’t control Cash Loans. These people add each month 30 per cent especially the one in Independence Avenue, Woermann Brock. – JJM mobile
* MR Niilenge and Mr Nauyoma from the Ministry of Home Affairs are the type of people a people you can take a hat off to. Thank you very much for what you did for me on Sunday, February 8. Namibia really needs people like you. – Blommy
* I RECENTLY visited Ruacana waterfalls and went to buy our food and drinks in the one and only BP service station at Ruacana. The fast food was excellent but we later realised that Tafel dumpies they were selling had expired in August last year. Please remove those expired dumpies before those responsible for rotten things visit your clean shop. – Haule waKambatima
* THANKS NBC TV for good programmes, but the worst thing is from 14h00 to 16h00, it’s all about kiddies. What about us teenagers? Please we need kasi music. Its like NBC TV is for kiddies. – Ayner
* I’M very happy about salary increases for civil servants at least to help them (workers), but it will help only if the tax rate is reduced. If not forget about an improvement. People will still suffer.
In And From The Regions
* I WANT to give special thanks to the people who came up with the idea of forming a new team at Kadedere village. People support your team now!
* I AM disturbed to see how dirty Independence Beach is. Paper, plastic, empty and broken glass bottles can be seen on the beach everywhere. This is the closest and nicest beach we have at Walvis Bay, yet we do not take good care of it. When are we ever going to become civilised? Some of us even go to the extent of saying that jobs are created for others by throwing the rubbish around. Do we ever think before we make such stupid statements? Those employed to pick up rubbish could have been employed to do better things like building schools, roads, etc. But because of our own ignorance governments and other social welfare organisations are spending money on a cost that could have been avoided; that of picking up rubbish. No wonder Africa does not develop!
* THE heavy rain has once again hit the northern part which causes floods. My advice to the GRN, town council and headman is to dig two to three big lakes in Oshana. – Lauri
* FLOOD time. We have a serious problem during the flood time. Our community is surrounding the pan, so that we need a clinic at Opeumba Combined School at Engela constituency in Ohangwena because Endola clinic is very far! – Claudia Hauwanga
Education
* TO the Grootfontein circuit inspector of education. We hereby wish to inquire whether you are aware of the fact that PSWN at Grootfontein is [allegedly] appointing people as teachers who do not have teaching qualifications. Parents stand up and inquire about the qualifications of the people teaching your kids.
* WHY is corporal punishment being practised at Kayengona Combined School? Rundu director investigate please.
ACC Alert
* ACC please come and investigate how GRN houses are being allocated in Mariental by the Ministry of Works!
Fair Competition
* HOW transparent is the MTC Volvo competition? How come people from region one are not winning? Or you mean they are not recharging adequately? I smell a rat somewhere or is it a mouse!
Labour Issues
* CAN the GRN please invent a policy that forces companies to reconsider taking back ex-employees who lost their jobs, no matter under which circumstances, and have been without jobs for many years or to reconsider their applications whenever posts are advertised due to the experience they have. This will help to minimise unemployment rate. Some of them have kids to take care of. – Tjarireove
* WHY is it that SOEs and the private sector in Namibia are very secretive about their remuneration packages? Even municipalities and town councils keep theirs under wraps. Follow the example of the Public Service of Namibia. This is the 21st century.
Service Please
* PLEASE dear editor is it lawful to some vendors to sell The Namibian newspaper for more than N$3 for their own benefit? Please reply.
* No, it is not lawful. The Namibian costs N$3 and vendors get a portion of this because they purchase the newspapers for less than the selling price. Newspaper buyers may choose to ‘tip’ them in addition, but vendors are not entitled to sell for more than N$3. – Editor
* BANK Windhoek, please update your economic indicators to show the newly announced bank rate.
* FOSCHINI Windhoek you have lost a regular customer. I came in and wanted to buy earrings and was told there was no key to open the window shelves. I’m really upset with this. Yesterday I came in to buy clothes and was treated in a rude and unfriendly manner. Please Foschini manager, improve your customer service.
Sporting
* HOW can our national team lose against a newly promoted Angolan premier league team? Where is your pride guys?
* HOW can us lower-division clubs be made to compete with Premier League clubs if our leagues are not running because of a lack of sponsors? Our players have been disadvantaged. – Misheck
* WHY should lower division clubs participate in the Cell One-sponsored NFA cup if the leagues do not have a sponsor? These sponsors do not really care about our football. – Fungal