SMSes for Tue 10 Feb 09
* AFRICAN leaders must stop misleading us about an African government. How on earth are they going to form one government if they are not prepared to give power to their own countrymen or women?
Food For Thought
* NAMIBIA, like most African governments, is waiting for the day to acquire US/EU green economic technology, instead of developing a new economic system based on the realities of the global economic meltdown. The Swapo GRN must show leadership in reforming an economy dependent on primary commodities (mining) to one encompassing humanity, nature, climate change and green technology innovations. Africa must rise to the occasion or remain vulnerable to captive markets of the industrial world. Blaming western imperialism without action is pathetic.
Democracy
* I FOUND it very interesting that Tatekulu Kanana (Hishoono) opened a Pandora’s box. Instead now the SMSes he was against to Tatekulu (Sam) Nujoma and (Hifikepunye) Pohamba are being directed at him. Viva democracy. – Lilongeni
General
* THE elderly can no longer survive on N$450 a month. Government should bear in mind that this is election year.
* FIVE basic facts around uranium in Namibia: (1) This barren country of ours is blessed with very rich and extensive deposits of this mineral; (2) Once all the uranium mines here start production we may ascend to be the top uranium producer globally; (3) Despite the gloomy economic outlook for the mining sector in this country uranium has brighter prospects (see Nepru) and this is because (4) in the face of global warming paranoia nuclear reactors provide a clean alternative energy source thus (5) heightening demand and rising prices. We cannot expect our soon to be biggest export to fetch good prices if we reduce competition through exclusion. Iran is an NPT member until it withdraws its signature. It maintains that its intentions are peaceful. Environmental scaremongers warn us against ever dreaming of nuclear power generation. Now we should not sell our uranium to wherever it is demanded? I propose a uranium cartel!
* WHAT happened to Swapo Youth League’s shares in Avid? – Kalola
* I WENT to report a sewage pipe which is dumping litres of human waste on the ground but apparently the municipality is aware of this but is doing nothing. This is the pipe which crosses the cemetery into the Gammams care works. Please do something because this water is polluting our dam!
* A TRAFFIC Police car on escort duty caused an accident between Okahandja and Windhoek on Friday. A NamPost truck overturned in the process.
* WHO disagrees? Crime has escalated in Namibia since Independence.
Bouquets And Brickbats
* DEAR Gwen, your new website is boring, old news stays for days, no more columns and is usually blank. Please improve.
* RAMBLER – thank you for some great shakes over weekends. Keep it up old chap.
* THANK you Windhoek Lager for the live TV broadcast featuring Liverpool vs Portsmouth on Botswana TV. Why are you neglecting Namibia?
* I WANT to thank the nurses in casualty at the Keetmanshoop State Hospital. My brother was stabbed nearly to death, but two nurses ran up and down to save his life. One nurse even started to pray for my brother. After an hour my brother recovered, thanks to you! Keep up the good work! We pray for you. – Amalias
* I DO appreciate the good work that Open File does at times. However I am deeply disapoointed at Sunday’s programme regarding a child rape victim. How can they expose the child like that she`s still a minor? They are doing more damage to her.
* WOW! Congrats to KFC for their beautifully reconstructed building opposite Wika (Service Station in Windhoek). I wish we had one in Ondangwa especially in the heart of the town. The one at Olukono complex is too far. Cmon it’s 2009! Bring development and change to the north. – Jackson
Politics
* POLITICIANS talk about youth unemployment remaining high. How can the youth be employed if the politicians don’t want to retire? Since Independence we have had the same leadership for 19 years now. What should one expect? They promote it.
Education
* PLEASE Ministry of Education employ accountants at schools or else let the principals deal with the development fund.
* WHY at Keetmanshoop does Namcol not offer the subject agriculture. I want to study it please.
* THE officials at the Namibia Students Financial Assistance fund (NSFAF) do not answer their phone. Can they please tell me who qualifies for a loan from this fund? – Benito
* OUR Government should take note that people are suffering because of high educational costs such as N$183 per subject for Grade 12. Not everybody gets enough income. When did our country become so developed?
* I’M disappointed with the way the IT department at the Polytech handled my application. I wrote an IT aptitude and haven’t got the results to date except for English, which was 71%. My enquiries were ignored and as a result I lost the opportunity to register. The only thing they told me is that my name is not on their system. Now I have to wait for next year again, which is unfair. Can the Dean of Students investigate this situation?– Angry and unhappy prospective student
* UNAM is taking two months for an exam amendment on one subject. Please lecturers and deans work harder because it’s time and money being wasted.
* PLEASE, the Government must do something about lower education. I am referring to the primary schools especially in the North. That’s why we have a higher percentage of failures when it comes to Grade 10 & 12 because the problem comes from there at primary school. Please, the Government must do something otherwise we have nowhere to go. – Kille from Windhoek
Service Please
* WE greatly appreciate the service of MTC, but some Otjimbingwe residents don’t benefit from this service. The tower has been placed at a low level and network coverage cannot reach the whole Otjimbingwe area such as Omukandakanda, Ubukos, Ovasukowo vindimba, Erekero, etc. Please cut on some free SMSes, free airtime, painting of buildings and use funds to improve on the network by putting the tower on a hill or mountain.
* FNB Rundu [please] improve your service. The queues are killing us.
* METRO, reopen your shop in Ondangwa. We are suffering from poor service at others.
* HOW come the Katutura Police Station telephone numbers have been out of order for the whole week?
ACC Alert
* NO smoke without a fire. People in Rundu are complaining about retired officials still occupying government houses and government officials occupying government houses while allegedly getting car and housing allowances. ACC, please come and investigate. – M Sharpsighted
Bye Bye Bob
* VIVA Mr Bob Kandetu! You are a Brave Son of the Land. Your words when you said, ‘I am not a coward, I will not leave the party’, you inspired me. Yes comrade to leave Swapo to create or join other parties is not a solution. Comrade don’t be bogged down by speculation by comrades.
In And From the Regions
* We residents are in dire need of a tarred road between Okalongo and Oshikuku. – Embadja
Labour Issues
* I DON’T understand why there are so many young people without jobs while in many GRN offices people are sitting getting paid for doing nothing. How will you decrease the crime rate if you don’t employ the youth? Why do foreigners get building tenders, especially GRN tenders, while we are here?
* I JUST want to ask the Minister of Lands and Resettlement to start working, because we have a problem here at a farm in the Kamanjab district. The people who were already working here are about to be chased out by the people who came in, but there is still no answer from the side of the government. We are in fear because where are we going when we leave this place. We have stayed here for more than 13 years and we have nowhere else to go.
* MINISTRY of Defence what do we call this? One of the navy members resigned last year, he was out of the force for almost two to three months. He reapplied again and was accepted. This person is sent on a course, while those he left in the navy while he had resigned are left out?
* IF we write about the poor service delivery from some union national Nafau leaders who make promises and fail to attend to their paid up members’ problems, particularly in Tsumeb, you never publish them but other labour issues you do, why? - MHLH – We can’t publish every single message on every single topic, but we do try and publish a wide selection of views on many topics. Thank you for keeping the faith. – Newsdesk
Health Matters
* TO the Minister of Health, please do something about smokers who smoke in the malls. We are taking our small babies to such places yet they are exposed to that terrible smoke.
* AS couples we are worried about the pregnancy rate at Outapi because when we are fighting against AIDS here is the opposite. Mr (Health Minister Richard) Kamwi please supply more of the family planning pills to hospitals countrywide so the situation can improve.
* MY baby is a month old (on breast milk now) and I’ll be going back soon to start working. I’m really concerned because my baby needs to start drinking milk, but I’m afraid to give it to her due to the ‘melamine’ found in Lactogen milk. Can the Ministry tell us if it’s safe to use the milk! Please can Minister Richard Kamwi give us feedback? – The news reports referred to batches of contaminated milk detected in Asia. We are not aware of contaminated milk products in our country. Perhaps the Ministry of Health would be able to help us on this one. – Newsdesk
* IF the Minister of Health wants effective implementation of health programmes, he should employ the correct people at correct places and employ able-bodied people, not those who are retired but don’t want to go home. There are quite a number of educated, intelligent able-bodied people in that ministry. Use your resources Sir.
The Sound Of Music
* AUGUETTO Graig, why should Kasi go? At least we have a certain programme that we can hook into. NBC gives enough airtime to local music through Afro Connection and during breaks. You yourself view foreign music on your DStv, showing all the images you have stated. Let us the poor get the feeling of our foreign stars too.