SMSes for Wednesday 26 September 2012
SMS Of The Day n WHY are our leaders quiet about the housing problem? The skyrocketing prices are killing us. If an educated person with a masters degree can’t afford a decent house, how much more a clerk, police officer, teacher or a nurse? Housing is a basic need, government do something. There’s plenty of land, service it!
Food for Thought
n IS ICT really a priority in the Namibian education system? If so, why employing only one IT officer per region? Here at Oshana, there’s only one IT officer who’s responsible for all technical aspects, to all schools and various offices. Although he’s competent, the workload is just way too much. To make the matters worse, he’s now on long leave, leaving the whole region stranded with no one to help. Can the two honourable doctors please restructure the IT Department in the regions and hire at least ten IT professionals per region with immediate effect.
– From a concerned teacher
n WHEN leaders care about their people, they will do their best for them. President, Prime Minister and all ministers, your civil servants and pensioners need an immediate, living wage. If you care, give the increase please.
Fashion Killings
n ANOTHER woman murdered by an ex-lover? This has become frequent reading in our daily newspapers. Unless law makers come up with effective and deterrent punishments for these hideous crimes, woman and girls will continue to lose their lives in gruesome ways! Enough is enough!
n THE Namibian of September 24 had seven reports on the murder of women by their men. Please, it’s high time our law does something to punish these men. We are all sick and tired of hearing about our Namibian women being assaulted, raped and killed by these men. Namibian men must learn that killing someone out of anger is unjustifiable.
Bouquets and Brickbats
n BANK Windhoek claims the huge profit of N$509 million is partly because of effective management. What a joke! It comes from the client’s pockets! We get no interest and pay exorbitant charges. I call this daylight robbery.
– DeDema
n NBC, one of the basic requirements for a news crew is to make sure the presenters get their pronunciation right. In this respect, it could be reasonably argued that the NBC journalists are being plain rude towards their audience. On Sunday, September 23, on the evening news bulletin the journalists corrupted the name of the governor of the Kunene Region. In the process they literally called him ‘Joshua the gossipmonger’. This conduct is totally unacceptable. Please, NBC managers and supervisors, check that: 1) the pronunciation is correct and names don’t get corrupted. 2) camera operators do a proper white balance before taking a shot, and they don’t cross lines during shots and editing – a big problem on NBC. 3) avoid distortion on your audio channels. These are basic things everyone should now. Please improve!
n I HAVE played Moola Mobile time and again and lost. I was angry and stopped playing for 10 months. I began again and won, so it is win or lose. I will play. Good advice – play or stop and don’t complain.
n NAMRIGHTS misunderstand olufuko. I want to tell them to go and interview Oshiwambo speaking elderly women. I think they will help them to understand. Keep traditions alive.
n WE need more cement companies in Namibia. Why do we have to buy one sack of cement for N$98? Why is cement made in Namibia so expensive? We suffer a lot because of Ohorongo cement.
n WIDOWS and orphans are traumatised by GIPF when they have to verify that they are still alive every year! The GIPF probably cares more about the amount of money kept in their coffers than the psychological and emotional torture to these vulnerable people in Namibia! Widows and orphans unite and fight for your rights!
n PLEASE MTC, select athletics as one of the sports codes you will sponsor. Results are speaking for themselves.
– LMM
n I DON’T understand GRN. I hear and read that when workers of companies such as NBC, Polytechnic and TransNamib are on strike for salary increments, they are always bailed or helped out by GRN. So, this means GRN has money to help other private companies not to lose their workers but don’t have money to pay the civil servants who are generating money into it day and night. We, the civil servant can’t afford to pay for our daily bread, milk and butter. GRN please put yourself in our shoes. Especially the clerks, drivers and the cleaners.
n DO our leaders really read the SMSes that people send in the newspaper? Why are they not doing anything? It seems they don’t care.
n IT was sad to read that article in The Namibian on September 21, (page seven), ‘street food in police spotlight’. Wanting to make an honest living and it’s taken away from you? What is happening in Namibia?
n ROADS Authority, it is a waste of resources to continue with the construction of gravel roads that still need maintenance while there are affordable technologies to alleviate the situation. Just how much do you spend on the maintenance of gravel roads?
Party Poopers
n REPORTING to the police before having a party? Will we have to report to the police as well before we leave our houses?
n THE City Police should get a grip of themselves.
Gerry Shikesho
n THE idea of having to report to the Police before having a party is pathetic to say the least. Because I find it wrong to have to get permission to do what you want to do in your private space. So the City Police should think before they act with all due respect.
– Jane
n THIS idea is ludicrous! The City Police should get over themselves!
– J Guardiola
n CITY Police please get your priorities straight! You have failed to control the operating hours of shebeens and now you are fining people having parties in their homes. Private parties are not the main problem, shebeens are the cause. That’s where crimes happen frequently. Tackle one problem before resorting to another.
Politics
n TANGANYIKA group, your time of clinging to power has come to an end. Give us a chance also to prove ourselves for the sake of harmony.
n IF I was the President of Namibia, and got paid N$692 465, I would say take N$400 000 of my salary, divide it for the elderly who receive state pensions, then maybe they will earn at least N$700 each month. Poor old people.
– Jeleckey
n WHY does Cabinet not make its decisions public anymore?
n LOCAL authority councillors are excluded by Prime Minister Nahas Angula from benefitting from political office bearers remuneration as if we are not honourable like him. Is it a mistake or intentional? Please Prime Minister, give feedback and if we are viewed as useless politicians, dissolve us and give us new titles. We are sick and tired of being discriminated!
n I WONDER where this country is going with these leaders? They have free rent, food, transportation, clothing, water and electricity as well as free furniture. What are their high salaries for? Do they really care about the nation at large? I don’t think so. It’s about time the civil servants take action and go on strike countrywide rather than just talking. It will not change if we don’t act. So easy to give the president a pay package but difficult to consider the civil servants. I never thought I could ever want this government to change but now I am honestly and seriously wishing for a new government.
n WE are tired of this government! Think about us! We have nothing! When will we get money? Our fathers and mothers were killed in Angola by the South African army troops. We are tired.
– Imms
n REVOLUTIONARY greetings to all sons and daughters of the soil. As a Swapo cadre, I don’t look at faces, races, names and sex. I equally look at our presidential candidates as cadres, compatriots and above all comrades. Whoever we are given to lead us, we shall follow. I believe this patriotic and rational mentality will take us far and bring about unity.
Education
n AT a parents meeting held at St Boniface in Kavango on Saturday, the issue of introducing a second language at that school was a subject of consideration that was unnecessarily debated long-windedly. Several right thinkers, without mincing words, reasonably mentioned a local language for which St Boniface qualifies, yet some individuals, because of having a dislike for that language, caused by political and tribalistic hidden agenda, proposed a foreign language instead. What about Nkurenkuru Elcin High School and St Kizito College. They also take learners from all over Namibia. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. This issue is very, very sensitive and must be dealt with with great circumspection to avoid stirring up tribal conflict and the mutual dog-and-cat life.
n UNAM school of engineering stop telling us that you need lecturers, because when we apply you tell us to wait for advertisements. When was the last time you advertised?
n MINISTER of Education please help the poor Grade 10 pupils at Jan Jonker Afrikaner who have not received their time tables because their school fees are not paid.
n SCHOOL toilets are very very dirty! Why? Every school! Please try cleaning up the school toilets. They are smelling bad. And my advice to fellow pupils is use toilet-paper when you go to the toilet!
n I’M struggling to pay school fees for my daughter while rich people’s daughters benefit from Chinese scholarships. Forget my vote. Politicians must vote for themselves.
Health
n MALTAHOHE Mayor, please give us feedback. When are we going to get our own doctor at the health centre? We are tired of being sent to Mariental Hospital where both doctors and nurses are unhelpful. We thought you are young and influential enough to make difference in our lives. Please help us, it’s because you work there that you seem not to care?
n GO Kamwi go, keep treating the nurses the way you are treating them. All we young nurses can do is to resign and go study! Keep importing foreigners as much as you want!
Labour
n AS a long serving member of the mighty Napwu, I would like to advise my fellow members not to be misled by individuals who are frustrated because they were not elected. Most individuals are not even members at all but want to create chaos among our long established unions. I was part of the delegation and all financial reports presented were audited by Saunderson and Co. As a member I am very impressed by how Napwu is growing bigger than any other union in Namibia. Viva workers unity!
n Kandji came to the Poly yesterday saying on public TV that our salaries are market related. Did you see our payslips?
n I ATTENDED an interview at RFA for an internal auditor position, but I am very disappointed with the conduct and behaviour of some of the panelists. They keep telling a person that they want practical examples. I cannot go and expose my current job situation to strangers. I am a professional. There are a lot of internal auditing questions you can ask as auditing processes are the same as per international standards. You don’t need to keep on interrupting a person. That’s why you have score sheets in front of you. We apply to advance our careers not to be forced to talk about non-career issues, by unprepared panelists.
– Disappointed interviewed candidate!
n ASSISTANT accountants and human resource practitioners, let’s fight for our regrading. We are starving with our degrees and diplomas, can’t afford houses, not even renting, don’t even talk about cars. Please let us organise ourselves and go on strike. The government must regrade us based on our qualifications.
n NAMPOWER National Control Centre, it’s now five months after we were informed we were successful for assistant controller positions. When are we starting?
n AGRIBANK you make a lot of money so just give a 12 per cent increment plus the other benefits that your employees want. The public need to be served, off for two weeks is very long!
n NAPWU was the most powerful trade union before the current leadership degraded it to its current status. What goes around, comes around!
n I AM really ashamed by Agribank’s board who are not bothered by the striking employees who have been on strike now going for the third week. I am sure the bank has lost more money by now than what the employees are demanding.
n Why does the Electoral Commission of Namibia not recruit people or their staff on a permanent basis. We are suffering. No benefits or social security. We work over six years now with no medical aid. Minister do something. Whoever can help us, we are in need for decent jobs.
– Petron
n THE Trade Unions are established in response to exploitation of working people as it is a very serious human rights concern. It is therefore not surprising that in Namibia’s quest for independence and social justice, the plight of the workers was elevated to constitute the top agenda of the liberation struggle. In the leaflet written by Hidipo and Geingob, they described contract labour as the nerve centre of colonial oppression. But today’s leaders of the labour movement are not following the footsteps of Reverend Bartlomeus Hamutumbangela and others who were genuinely concerned about the sorry state of the workers. Instead of upholding the principles of transparency and fairness, in dealing with worker’s interests, they are focussing on personal aggrandisement and self-enrichment. The irony of the matter is that the propensity to mismanage and the outright theft on the part of union leaders that does not bother the Swapo simply because they will send ‘good’ delegates to the congress.
n TEACHERS are planning to go on strike in the middle of Grade 10 and 12 exams. Nantu where is your loyalty?
Response for Previous SMSes
n I AM a lecturer at the Polytechnic of Namibia. It is not us on strike, it is the administrative staff. Like most of my colleagues, I spend most of the (student’s) holidays teaching short courses and conducting research. A sabbatical comes after considerably more time than thee years, is for further study and not a ‘holiday’ and is, in any case, subject to approval by management. Please get your facts correct.
n Can Namibia please NOT find oil.
Lost and Found
n I, M Cloete, lost my brown Nedbank wallet containing a drivers license and other cards in a taxi on Saturday evening. If found please call 081-417 5926.