SMSes for Tue 31 Mar 09
* CAN someone pleas tell us why do we have to use the title “honourable” for ministers and others? These are servants of the nation. Please let’s stop this or can someone tell me otherwise?
Food for Thought
* IF Air Namibia was a horse, they’d have to shoot it! Maybe they could spend our N$100 million bailout to change the logo from a flamingo to an ostrich ... it can’t fly, sticks its head in the sand and we’re left staring at the bit where the sun don’t shine. – Proud but embarrassed Namibian, Mark Bongers
* I LIKE two changes in the Constitution. 1. In our NDP-3 we aim to reduce poverty and I was wondering how we could manage that as foreigners are also living with us in areas where sewerage water is flowing in the street (e.g. Selina Haitembu). So we are also importing poverty. Not only that, even expatriates become Namibians to stay CEOs or technical advisors to avoid expatriate criticism. Thus citizenship laws need to be strengthened. We must first take care of our people. 2. Yes ACC must be constitutionalised but let’s also keep appointments competency-based and such officials’ performance must be scrutinised by the public to limit political or other biases on a regular basis. And OPM thanks for reading the SMS page. – Mi-geb
* WHAT is the use of putting the Police officers at Katutura State Hospital, if they are not assisting medical staff when there is a violent patient? They used to tell the staff that it is not their job. They are just useless Police officers and I think they must just be removed.
Responses
* YES, all Cell One customers that met the requirements (Prepaid recharge with a minimum of N$10 in a week, while account of contract customer to be up to date) of the competition were included in the draw.
The Long Wait
* NAMIBIA is one of the countries with hard laws against foreigners. For a foreigner to get a study visa he or she must struggle, the same as to get a job or business visa. For an extension of visiting stay he or she must pay N$390 whilst is for free in other countries. Now it will be even worse to marry a Namibian. She or he will wait for 10 years to be given citizenship. - Baloyi
Politics
* TO all born-frees, don’t allow yourselves to be misled by the hypocritical hysteria of some politicians. Honestly speaking, they are only interested in your votes to feather their own nests. Once elections are over as usual nobody will ever think or speak of born-free. Use your democratic right and vote for a political party of your own choice.
* HOW much harm and embarrassment can these SPYL babies continue causing to Namibia? Remember Witbooi vs SA diplomat, the USA’s Millennium Challenge saga. Now it is (Veikko) Nekundi vs Germany’s envoy? SPYL, do you know how much damage you are causing to (President Hifikepunye) Pohamba’s government?
Struggle Years
* SO Peter E Nanyemba was killed by some people in Swapo? This was according to Namibia Today of last Monday. My question is this: Is this a personal opinion of the author or the new position of Swapo? What about Hainyeko, Matongo, Katjipuka, Nafidi and other. Where are we heading with these accusations and why now comrades?
* IN last week’s Namibia Today, Comrade Asser Ntinda alleges that Cde Nanyemba was killed by what he termed the cabal. What we knew in exile was that his death was caused by a car accident when a car he was driving collided with an Angolan/Cuban truck. Eyewitnesses also confirm this. Namibia Today being a Party newspaper, is this the new truth? This statement is dangerous aimed to score short-term advantage but bring long term damage to the Party we love and suffered for. Next time you will hear the so-called dungeon saga blamed on some people instead of collective responsibility. Comrades let us act responsibly.
Running The Show
* THE people in the northern part of Namibia are dying from water-borne diseases, drowning and without any shelter and fresh water or food, and in the meantime the civil servants are getting an increase and our president is knocking on doors for international aid. Where do you draw the line? The Government should have waited with their salary increases until the global economic crisis stabilises. Why the greed? - Naz, Oranjemund
* MINISTRY of National Youth Service, do you know that some of the 2008 intake still don’t have their courses?
* INCOMPREHENSIBLE budget allocations! With 800+ schools still without electricity in Namibia, why spend all this money on jets, state houses and retired presidents? Get real please!
* THE ACC is always “trigger happy” when it comes to arresting school secretaries for embezzling school funds, but performs poorly on the big cases e.g. ODC N$100 million, Chinese corruption allegations. Are we as Namibians wasting tax dollars on the ACC? I think so.
Bouquets And Brickbats
* CELL one promotion thanks for your 500 000 promotion. Can you please extend it by one week so that it will end on April 6.
* LET’S be realistic, 89th birthday with two sons who are just too young. Maybe they were born while mom was over 50. Impossible! (See Friday newspaper)
* PLEASE The Namibian get your facts right! The helicopters pictured on page 10 are not Chinooks but the almighty US-built AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. – Thank you for pointing that out. The information, plus the picture, came from an international news agency who we trust to get it right. But we are all human and errors can creep in. – Newsdesk
* JO-MARE (Duddy’s) Budget stories were the best in town. – Shirumbu
Education
* CAN the NQA Council look into appointing a CEO as the person acting currently is outside the mandate of it (GRN Director) yet committing Council funds and binding it to contracts while not being employed or seconded to Council. This matter is making Council employees feel uncomfortable and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency!
* WHY does the GRN allow vocational students to go back on the street again. Why when Ministry of Finance staff are always chilling at the Country Club, there’s no money to pay students who work there for six months? Why do we have to leave school because of a poor family? No school funds. Why do we have to fail our course for thinking too much? Why nation why?
* I’M a full-time student and I disagree with the person saying the Poly’s library is dirty, toilets not flushing and so on. You want to ruin Poly’s good reputation.
Labour Issues
* I FULLY support the person who wrote the SMS on Wednesday, March 25 2009, in connection with Woermann Brock staff being attacked by tsotsis. Dropping people far from their houses really poses a danger to any staff from any establishment knocking off at night.
* DEAR Editor, allow me a space in your newspaper to highlight my concern so that the nation can correct me where I’m wrong. I work as a guard but since the wage increment was done, I think guards are not yet seen as workers. How is it possible to increase the wages of your workers with 0,30 (per hour) which can’t buy even matches for lighting? How can your workers do an excellent job while they get little sleep and are starving? Is this fair or is this corruption which is not needed in Namibia? Me myself and on the behalf of my colleagues, I call this a corruption. We guards, we are really suffering by getting little and working long 12 hours, but the increase is only 30 cents. Can you imagine that? NUNW please open your eyes and help, or ACC do your work and take action against corruption seriously in Namibia. We guards, we need a clear guards’ wage increase. – Concerned NPS guard
General
* GRN, we Namibians are animal lovers but when can we expect a State clinic for our dogs and cats? Our vets in town are very expensive. If our pets are sick we have to look on and watch them die. Please look into this request. Thanks. – Miss T
* PEOPLE walking their dogs in packs at Avis Dam, get your unruly mutts under control please. I will be carrying a large sjambok when walking my dog there from now on.
* TO the parent complaining about Cool Ryder, maybe it’s time you own up to your responsibility and teach your kids about the importance of condoms, abstinence and delaying sexual intercourse. The earlier the better sweetheart.
* WE the veterans from 1960 - 1975 are eager to hear when the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs is going to act.
Price Pain
* SOME minibuses from Monte Christo Service Station are charging customers between 170 to over 200 dollars for a trip from Windhoek to Outapi. Is this the right price Nabta?
Sporting
* AS a sports (soccer, in particular) supporter, please can your sport reporters get their facts right before printing because the game which was supposed to be played on the 24 March (Pirates vs Tigers) was postponed last week already to the 1st of April and they report in the edition of Tuesday 24th that the match was going to be played that same night and I wonder how many people travel to the Independence Stadium with their last savings of the month. – Moh – Unfortunately reporters do not draw up fixtures and merely convey the message as given by the Namibia Premier League (NPL). In the case of the Tigers versus Orlando Pirates match, fixtures were given through to the media that the match would take place on Tuesday at 20h00 at the Independence Stadium. It was reported as such in our Tuesday edition (March 24), but on the same day after the report appeared, the NPL issued a statement (on March 24) saying that the particular match was postponed to another date. We could not change that as it had already appeared in the newspaper. So in this regard, it is not the fault of the newspaper or the sports reporters, but the NPL which said that the match was now postponed after they had already informed that media that it was on. They said it was announced over the radio, but we do not know how effective their announcement was. Please contact the NPL at 061-224 773 if you need more clarity. – Sports Desk
In And From the Regions
* OSHAKATI is very dirty, roads! Who is responsible? Please something must be done.
* THERE has been no NBC TV coverage at Tses since August 26 2008. The matter was reported and it was said that the helicopter was still busy in the North assisting flood victims. That was last year. What happened NBC? – Fabrizio