SMSes for Monday 09 July 2012
SMS Of The Day *I TOTALLY agree with Deputy Minister Peter Iilonga on tribalism. My question is how can we eradicate tribalism if even the government endorses tribal leaders? What is the purpose of tribal leaders, if not to practise tribalism? Either we agree or not. We cannot get out of this tribal web if we taught our children from the beginning of their lives that they are Herero, Damara, Kavango, Kwanyama, Ndonga and so on - and later on, when they express this in their lives, we turn round and call them tribalist.
Food for Thought
*SHAREHOLDERS rely on directors to run their companies as citizens rely on public servants to run their country. Government, as shareholder of our state owned enterprises, and, by implication, its public servants are in a powerful position to demand good corporate governance, accountability and performance from those managing state owned enterprises. Can shareholder apathy be to blame for the sorry state of affairs in Namibia?
Bouquets and Brickbats
*IT was refreshing to see President Hifikepunye Pohamba depart from his prepared statement at Oshikango on July 5 and make a passionate call for unity. But I get disappointed when the President keeps stony silence at a time his leadership is in acute demand. For his calls for unity to have desired impact, President Pohamba should have the political courage to cite specific cases and name individuals or parties involved in threatening unity. And unity should never be understood to mean conformity with the dominant party.
*BRAVO City Police. It was refreshing to drive down Werner List street on Thursday at 16h50 and find it orderly and free from its daily chaotic traffic jam. For a moment I thought I was lost then saw smart looking Police stopping vehicles, especially taxis, popularly known as city kudus. The beloved city is still orderly after all. Well done. Please do it often.
– Grateful Road User.
*JUST entered NaTIS, Tal Street, and caught an employee on her way out but quickly asked her what form to complete. She helped me with a smile, continued to assist two other men and only left for lunch at about twenty past one. Thanks Emilia
*THANK you very much to the two kind ladies who dropped me off in Dorado. You saved my life on Thursday night. I never got your names or anything. Please if you see this come to the house where you dropped me off. Thank you very much. God bless you.
*THANK you Windhoek Municipality for replacing stolen street manhole covers in Eros Park. It’s a sad reflection on our society that manhole covers now have to be welded on to prevent theft.
*I LOVE the ‘Paparazzi’ page but I’m sure everybody will agree with me when I say please keep it local. It’s more entertaining.
*HILDA-Evangelina Garises you hit the nail on the head by calling us impotent. We are because we are not organised and have a tendency to wait until others do something. The big problem is that the hopelessness can convert suddenly in unrest and become violent destroying the little bit of value that is left - as it happened in other countries.
*WHERE is the Namibian Tourism Board at the Etosha Namibia Wildlife Resorts accommodation? Floor mats, bedside tables and lamps and 16 square metres per room are required. There are none of these yet they charge more N$900 per person per night!
*I ONLY just read about this boy who looks 11 years old alone at a cattle post at Amaupa in Ongandjera. As young as he is, his uncle left him alone to look after the goats. I am still shocked.
A Question of Land
*PRESIDENT Pohamba gets communal land. Please sir, give it to the ones who need it.
*IT’S heartbreaking to hear that the head of Government received communal land from the Ukwangali Traditional Authority on top of his Tsumeb farm. Mr President offer one of your areas to the landless.
*LAST week apparently the Uukwangali Traditional Authority evicted politically insignificant Ndonga and Kwanyama farmers and in no time our politicians went in and got farms, including our President. In Tsumeb, the Municipality evicted the people from Kivukiland and apparently in no time the Mayor Ndangi Sheetekela and regional council Tangeni Tobias got the land. Everyone for yourself and God for all of us.
*WHEN high officials occupy land it is resettlement, when poor citizens occupy land it’s illegal removal.
*YOU Namibians, who were colonised and dispossessed by the white settlers during the 20th century, are being dispossessed now by your own elected political elite. They are just occupying the place of the former white ruling minority. And the rest? Franz Fanon, a black anti-colonial philosopher, gave a name for this in 1952: ‘Black skins, white masks’ meaning that people like (President Barack) Obama despite of having black skin can act like any other white imperialist. The same for your leaders.
Running the Show
*WHEN will the Government annual tenders start if we are already July?
Law and Order
*TAXI drivers spit in full view of the public nowadays. This is disgusting. Can the law officers do something about this?
Education
*MINISTER Abraham Iyambo please help us with this issue. Your ministry pays Unam for our studies and the rest of the money should be paid to students for accommodation and transport. Unam does not want to pay the remaining money to the students. At the end of the day students must pay back the ministry for money they did not use.
*TEACHERS must teach prepare lessons, make aids, draw up tests and exams, mark extra classes, do extramural activities etc and yet secretaries don’t want to help with typing!
*URGENT intervention is needed at Kaliyangile Combined School. How can a learner be without an assignment/home work for two weeks? We parents need to watch our kids performance.
*THIS is the third year the hostel at Onguti Senior Secondary School has been without hot water. And you refuse to allow them to use kettles. Why? Why are you putting our kids’ health at risk?
*CAN someone please tell me how long it takes for IOL to pay back refunds? I have been waiting for my N$1 200 since March 8, 2012.
*POLYTECHNIC why don’t you have speedpoints at the cash counters and why only one cashier?
Health Matters
*IT’S really sad how citizens, even pensioners, are treated at our Windhoek hospitals. I spent about four hours at Katutura Hospital on July 4 and left without being helped. People are left sitting in queues not knowing whether they will be helped or will have to wait the whole day and still not be helped. Minister Kamwi is clearly not succeeding in bringing the anticipated positive turnaround.
Labour Issues
*MINISTER of Labour and Social Welfare we, the employees in the south of Namibia, are suffering under unfair labour practices of the farmers. We are still working under the colonial rule of the past.
In and From the Regions
*OTAVI has been without water for two consecutive days. There has been no information coming forthwith from the town council on what caused the water crisis. Please could someone intervene?
*OKAHANDJA Town Council we applied for plots years ago but are still waiting. Now there are councillors, who were not even born in Okahandja, who have more plots to their names. Please we want plots.
*MINISTRY of Environment, regarding the elephants to be donated to the Cuban government please consider extracting a large portion of the consignment from Erongo Region, especially around Okombahe and Omatjete. They are destroying our crops. Otherwise food self-reliance an Vision 2030 will be a dream forever!
*CAN someone please tell me which criteria Aranos Town Council used to award tenders. Council houses are built by people with out registered companies.
n ONGWEDIVA Town Council and Oshana Police please come to our rescue. There is a church conducting services in the former Put More Fire Complex next to Riana Mini Market. This church makes a noise daily, during the evenings/nights and weekends. We don’t rest anymore and the kids’ studies are being affected because of this excessive noise. Is this the price that we have to pay as residents of this part of Ongwediva?
City Fathers
*VERY soon the City of Windhoek is going to release erven for the low income applicants who have waited patiently for some eight years. My humble request is that the City puts measures in place to ensure/declare those areas no shebeen zones.
*CAN the City of Windhoek find another place for people learning how to drive who are currently using the space at Zanzibar Court in Otjomuise. It is really a danger to us living around there.
*CITY of Windhoek why did you put my house under industrial consumers instead of domestic consumers in April this year? You charged me high electricity rates. I want my money back.
*THE City of Windhoek’s tariffs are unaffordable. Stop milking us, the residents. Apart from that, the debit management system is non-functional. What is the use of Internet banking facilities, if you have to struggle again with employees to get these payments recoded or deducted on a monthly basis? We cannot pay for incompetence, we do not earn that much. What are the strategic executives and managers doing? Are they only happy and content with their own earnings? Start thinking outside the box, there are many ways to do things instead of your current rigid ways. You put pressure on already burdened households.
*CITY of Windhoek. Stop sending out monthly bills for ‘ghost streets’. For the past four years I receive an account for a ‘ghost street’ and complain monthly. You ought to know that you cannot hold residents liable for ‘ghost street’ payments. Kindly verify you account data before sending out bills.
NBC
*NBC TV please join Radio Cosmos on Friday nights, that is, from the streets, bars, roads, hospitals and police stations etc. And give us and the politicians coverage every Monday on what alcohol is doing to the nation.
*NBC radio please expand your coverage throughout Namibia because in some parts of Sesfontein constituency drought relief food is being used as a source for campaigns for political parties. Incorrect information is being given to people by the distributors of this food. People are getting wrong information.
Service Please
*STANDARD Bank Vehicle and Asset Finance, you are like Home Affairs. On Friday I called from 11h00 to 15h00 with no answer! You need to realise you are in the service!
*MINISTRY of Home Affairs please I need a copy of my ID card. I missed a lot of benefits just because I don’t have an ID. I cannot even open a bank account. Please you are taking long.
Lost and Found
*I LOST a black wallet with all my cards including my ID. If found kindly contact Joram Naove Ngutjinazo at 081-143-0368.
*I LOST my wallet with my ID . Ndahomenwa Erastus please call or text 081-467-5119.
*I HELENA N. Silvanus lost my wallet including my ID and other cards. If found please call 081-288-8831.
*I LOST a bunch of keys outside the Ministry of Finance building at Otjiwarongo. If found please call or SMS 081-253-5584.
*I LOST my ID in Rundu Shoprite. My name is Simon Benonia Aina Nashaende from Ongulumbashe. Please contact 081-490-0722 if found.
Responses to recent SMSes
From Standard Bank on Money Gram issue
THE Bank of Namibia requires that before Standard Bank Namibia establishes a business relationship or concludes a single transaction with a prospective client, it has to establish the identity of the prospective client, and obtain or verify further information. In addition to this, SBN has identified Money Gram as a high risk product and therefore it has implemented additional risk mitigating controls. In light of the above the following requirements have to be met when sending or receiving money via Money Gram.
Recipient/ sender should provide the bank with identity document and proof of residence before the bank will proceed with the transaction. If the client is not the owner of the house, a lease agreement will be required.
In the event that the client is residing at an informal settlement the following is required;
Identity document of the sender and recipient.
Proof of residence of a friend or relative (water and electricity bill not older than 1 month) including a copy of the person’s identity document.
With reference to obtaining of a water and electricity bill upon change of postal address, this is not a SBN requirement.
From: Surihe Gaomas
Standard Bank Namibia Manager: PR & Communications
Tel: 294 2583 (w) / 081 2187473
Email: surihe.gaomas@
standardbank.com.na
*THE staff of state-owned enterprises have a cheek asking for shares. The profit of those institutions belongs to the taxpayers. You have a job. Do it and do it well. Stop your greed.