SMSes of Thursday 4 March 2010
* I LIVE in Pionierspark. What is happening nowadays is that small planes are flying very low posing a danger to residents. The noise is unbearable. Previously they used to fly to the PP Cemetery before turning. Civil Aviation please act now.
Food for Thought
* I AM not a big fan of the American educational system in general, but their new turnaround strategies for under-performing schools seem to be a promising model for Namibia. The Ministry of Education should get the details and consider applying the same strategy for Namibia.
Bouquets and Brickbats
* CHRISTOF in your article you complain about lazy teachers, I wonder what your opinion will be of learners, without teachers in some subjects, who are still expected to pass their exams. Can someone say how that is possible?
* LET me as a teacher remind C Maletsky that teachers carry their workload home after working hours and over the weekend. They do extra-mural activities until 17h00 and sport during weekends without compensation. Most schools you praise for good performance such as Oshigambo, Negumbo, GT and St Mary in Kavango enrol learners that have scored 28 to 30 points in Grade 10 and give written tests to the Grade 8s and 9s to select only the best. Now who is fooling who?
– Teacher!
* CHRISTOF Maletsky, you were at school, have you never seen teachers stay behind after school for extra classes, athletics, marking, etc? How do you think your books, etc, were marked?
* I SALUTE Christof Maletsky on his insightful opinion piece on lazy teachers.
* MINISTRY of Finance vehicle with number plate GRN 8380 please set a good example for your fellow Namibians. Throwing trash out of the car is not decent.
* TODAY two newspapers reported that Henrico Botes will play against South Africa, whilst one reported he is injured and will not play. Again this is a case of reporters not doing their homework.
– Henrico Botes is injured and did not play as The Namibian reported on Wednesday
– Newsdesk
* OTAVI Police: When the truck overturned near Fourways police took the clothing and called their friends at the military base and they came with vehicles and loaded clothes that were on that truck. The clothes were later sold at the Single Quarters. Police should maintain law and order. They are the ones who should stop people removing items from accidents.
Politics
* PRE-ELECTION promises are only part of the marketing campaign and should almost never be taken seriously. That’s the nature of politics. Political talk is cheap.
* WHY do the people vote for a government that doesn’t stand up for them? That puts their needs before the needs of the people that keep voting for them. Learn from your mistakes and see that is is not getting you anywhere.
– Wl
* I CAN see a lot of tension before new ministers are announced. Newspapers are speculating, I can’t wait for The Namibian to do the same and tell it like it is. Please include a Ministry of Fashion. Just look at how they dress. On a lighter note perhaps Hem Matsi of Hemline should be appointed.
Politics in General
* READING your article on reform calls in China, it seems China is still using apartheid and yet our Swapo Government is so cosy with them. Am I crazy or is somebody else?
The Hand that Feeds
* I THINK (NUNW head Evilastus) Kaaronda should quit whining about the whites, Germans, imperialists, etc. and tell this nation what he, as a unionist, has done to alleviate poverty and unemployment.
* PEOPLE like Kaaronda are destroying this beautiful country with their racial attacks. When is the NUNW congress? We want leaders and not gangsters to lead the union.
* EVILASTUS Kaaronda is to be pitied. He allows his racism to consume him without even being aware of it.
* WE inherited an infrastructure of buildings, roads etc as well as racism from South Africa. It seems that only the racism is being maintained.
Business as Usual
* ON my way to Swakop I saw a whole convoy of buses and trucks on their way inland, all obviously secondhand. The yellow buses, like the school buses in the USA, were all left hand drive. The white truck horses all left hand drive. I am under the impression that secondhand left-hand drive vehicles may not be imported. I think the Chinese are behind this again. When will our country stop this?
– Joof
A Place to Call Home
* I CONCUR with the SMS on rented accommodation. The rental fees are increasing
* IT’S true that you are exploited when renting. Windhoek is not really a city where we, as landlords, can escape high rents. Rates and taxes in Windhoek must never be forgotten. On the other hand you tenants just know how to vandalise. If you learn how to take care of the place you are renting, I think things could change. Keep the place for yourself, not for your entire family. Just keep to the contracts and agreements.
Some are worse than others
* YES, Renting will be expensive because those who rent don’t use water and electricity wisely, play music/radio throughout even if one is not home and watch movies non-stop. Most of them don’t maintain the house/room, they don’t water plants not to mention clean. So all the money they pay ends up repairing their damage, NHE and a high City of Windhoek bill.
– Muna
Education
* TEACHERS at schools are claiming how principals are managing schools wrongly and treating them badly. Why can’t they apply to become principals and display their leadership skills or even better move to another school where they can be treated better.
* HOW I wish to do poetry. I’m still at school in a rural area and it really breaks my heart when the Government officials don’t create competitions for us. For example the poetry competition which was only meant for Windhoek learners. No wonder rural students are not supplemented with extra knowledge to help us pass. Why not make it a national competition?
* SPOUSES, parents, children, other relatives, friends, etc of teachers: Please tell those ‘blind’ ones that teachers have been working 26 hours per day for many years!
* CAN the Polytechnic please look into the issue of study guides that are sold out? The first tests are fast approaching and we have no study material.
General
* DEAR editor, please provide us with a daily crossword puzzle.
* I AM keen to find out from Dr (Elijah) Ngurare what youth empowerment really means. Because as a young entrepreneur, it is hard to get help from ministries or does the Development Bank of Namibia have a fund for the youth?
In and From the Regions
* WHY doesn’t the government, and all the town councils, City of Windhoek included, invest in planting grass and trees as you enter a town or city?
* OMUTHIYA Town Council managers, please be in your offices at all times, we need your services.
* I WOULD like to ask Karibib Municipality if there is the possibility of setting up toilet facilities in town?
* WHAT is the point of having a CCTV in a toilet? I saw one at a service station in Rundu! Management please tell us what you’re capturing.
– KC Bravo!
* CAN the council of Mashare Constituency tell us when Shighuru, Liyana and Maghuntu will get electricity?
Service Please
* DO you think Multichoice could be persuaded to keep a few channels free of soccer adverts before non-fans are driven insane. I resent paying their outrageous fees to watch something I have no interest in.
* CAN One Africa television please make some changes on their soapies schedule for ‘The Storm’ to air at 21h00, because at 20h00 we watch news on NBC. And at least for it to repeat on the weekends, but not at 12h30 every day!
Health Matters
* IF you are on ARVs please refrain from alcohol abuse! Your health is valuable to uplift the economy of our beautiful motherland. It’s just a humble request to my fellow countrymen!
– Mrs M
NBC
* I DON’T understand why NBC does not put in more effort when it comes to TV licence payments but pretends not to hear peoples’ complaints. Please NBC, people are tired of complaining that they want to see what the others are enjoying.
ACC Alert
* PLEASE can the the ACC come to Ongwediva Natis Office and see how people are still buying their licence. It’s because of this that accidents will never end.
* I WANT ACC to please investigate the admissions process at Windhoek College of Education. There are some people we know who didn’t have 23 points yet they were admitted. Namibia say no to corruption!
Please Help
* ARE there offices in Namibia which can assist in obtaining SA vehicle clearance or a link? Want to know.
– Rural citizen