SMSes for Tuesday 05 February 2013
SMS Of The Day *FOUNDING Father, current President, and Swapo SG, Namibia has been independent for over two decades but nothing has been aggressively or critically deliberated on to remedy the plight and suffering of ‘struggle kids’, war-victims, and the forgotten heroes/heroines. Some are passing on in poverty, in frustration, old-age, homeless and as paupers. Please consider a national conference in this regard and strategies critically based on objective realities and recommendations! – War victim
Food for Thought
*CITY Police going around arresting traffic offenders. Will the arresting stop the main issues or are they doing this because they need money? Did the council approve this action? City Police must think twice before doing this. They can get sued by the public. Be careful!
*AGAIN, a presidential commission of inquiry report will be kept secret. For how long will our unaccountable government use public funds to withhold information from the public?
*LEGAL fees versus consultancy fees. People always have a lot of things to say about purported exorbitant fees charges by lawyers without having regard to the rules and regulations of the Law Society. Lawyers compete with so-called consultants. Our work is also under threat by auditors. Lawyers can charge around N$30 000 per day. We have to consult legal books, decide on case law, etc. Consultants charge N$400 000 for ten minutes of consultation and these fees just get paid. Consulting engineers, architects and the like charge a percentage of a contract worth up to N$400 million and no one says it is exorbitant. At the end of the day, lawyers must clean up the mess caused by all these and still our fees are being labelled ‘not fair’. I think lawyers must call themselves legal consultants.
Bouquets and Brickbats
*IT took Jackie Asheeke to do PR for the Ministry of Home Affairs. One thing l know is that there is a lot of good going on in various ministries but this country is being failed by their communicators who have no clue how to get their messages out there. Some have a hostile attitude towards the media.
*I AM one of those who voluntarily went to City Police to pay my outstanding traffic fine. I spent a long time at the Magistrate’s Court waiting to pay, and was only assisted at 11h50. Now my question is, if the system is so inefficient that it’s difficult for officials to help 50 people, how are they going to deal with the 50 000 who supposedly owe money for outstanding traffic fines?
*I DON’T condone the mistake Jarman made with the babies but I take my hat off to them for the public apology. May both little souls rest in peace.
*I FAIL to understand how the Namibian law works. A rapist is allowed out on bail in the name of education. Please protect us.
*I CHALLENGE any one to a N$1 million bet that President Hifikepunye Pohamba will do nothing about the NDF food tender scam. Challenge me!
*GOODNESS, where is Namibia heading? City Police just told me that bars have licences to be open until midnight. When are the other citizens supposed to enjoy their constitutional rights and rest? Is this really fair? How and why do the authorities licence bars in the informal settlements? To do what? For who? Namibians wake up, this country is destroying its own people in the name of independent and a free Namibia.
*THE ‘mentally’ ill guy who begs outside Wernhil Park is really disturbing the peace. He follows people around touching them, pinching them and demanding for more even when you have given him something already. Can’t the police or social workers take him in or something? I don’t feel safe when I see him.
*THANK you Unam for the big improvement regarding the registration process. I went to register as a postgraduate student and I was impressed at how fast and hustle-free the process was. Most staff were friendly and helpful. If you keep this up, more people will surely be proud of studying at your institution.
– A happy student
*IF criminals are roaming the streets, then the girls in mini skirts are among those, leave the police to do their work. Social responsibility and behaviour should be our motto! Stop defending mini skirts.
*IT seems that all transgressions made by taxi drivers are ‘news’ to the City’s Traffic Police. Pull your heads out of the sand.
Suggestion Box
*WHY can’t the City Police provide a number in the media for drivers to inquire about any outstanding traffic fines? Do they expect all drivers to flock to their offices?
*THE name of the Women and Child Abuse Unit (Centre) of the Namibian Police should be changed to Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit. This is because domestic violence is not exclusively perpetrated by men. There are a good number of women in our various communities who are equally abusive (both physically and psychologically) towards their male partners or colleagues.
*CITY Police, with the money accumulated from 50 000 outstanding fines, please do something on the streets where there is constant traffic congestion, especially the Monte Christo Road.
*THE so-called daylight-saving wintertime will be upon us again soon. Can the starting time not be changed to at least May or after the May school holidays so that the afternoons can be lighter for longer? Sunlight is one of the very rare free things we have in this country in sharp contrast to very expensive electricity. Why is it not utilised to the maximum? Government is stubborn and insensitive to the plight of the people.
*MOOLA Mobile, please stick to your promises! On January 30 and 31, no winners were announced. Did the draws take place? I suggest that Moola should do the draws on live TV, as others do.
*PRIME Minister, please cancel and immediately stop the contract process in the Ministry of Agriculture, and municipalities for cleaning of vehicles. About 50 to 200 children of the liberation struggle can be appointed on a permanent basis to keep vehicles clean in all government and semi-government institutions. They can then enjoy the benefits of being employed on a permanent basis with pension and medical aid.
Service Please
*THE playground in Zoo Park is dilapidated. What are we paying the municipality for?
*TELECOM Namibia, for almost a month now we in Tsintsabis are paying for internet services that we are not using. When are you going to fix your tower? Are you going to refund us if we pay for many months without using it?
*MINISTRY of Home Affairs in Rehoboth, in March last year, my brother handed in late registration of birth. When will they get it? Did you people ask the Windhoek branch?
*NAMIBIAN Police, please arrest the men who expose their private parts by urinating in public. It is disgusting. Leave women to wear what they want because it is their human right. Does it also mean that men rape four year old girls because they wear mini skirts?
*I WOULD like to know from the NBC what criteria they are using in selecting their news anchors and why it’s not advertised for the public so that one can go through the selection process. This is because there are a lot of us out there who are interested in being news anchors.
*IT is very shameful! It’s a payday but there is no money in FNB’s ATMs in Tsumeb, even the main branch is out of order.
*BANK Windhoek Capricorn, get your act together! How can you allow one person at sales to serve so many people? Bad service!
*BANK Windhoek, Ai Gams, Saturday, month-end. Only one teller, no air-conditioner. Seriously! What are you thinking?
*BANK Windhoek Otjiwarongo branch, please tell us why you advertise services that are not there? Most specifically cellphone banking, which has not been functional since last year. The ATM slips always run out.
Labour
*President Pohamba, you announced that POBs must get a 15 percent increase. You gave reasons of inflation, etc. How do you justify the eight percent increase for other civil servants? They also suffer due to inflation and need another seven to eight percent increase. Please.
*LET’S all applaud our president for his bold decision, foresight and best use of power by cutting the unrealistic proposed increment for public office bearers.
*WE, the teachers of Epembe CS are tired of living in kambashus while our GRN houses are occupied by staff of the Epembe ciruit. David Namwandi, please intervene.
*‘POHAMBA approves increase’: “All animals are equal. But some are more equal than others.”
– George Orwell, ‘Animal Farm’.
Education
*CHILDREN in schools need libraries to acquire knowledge. Ask the Ministry to build a library for every school and qualified librarians should be appointed.
*MINISTRY of Education and Unam, when are you giving recognition certificates to those who obtained a clear exemption in the English language proficiency placement test? And how are we going to be used in the course work for other teachers as we seem to have been sidelined? Respond please!
*WE are very unhappy with the school in Noordoewer (EHW Baard) that is appointing unqualified teachers. Our children can’t speak, read or write English properly. Please Regional Director of Education, we want answers as soon as possible.
*WHAT an utter form of madness to let the senior girls of WHS wear stockings of all things in this excessive heat. Have a heart. It is such an outdated tradition. Things change as life goes on!
*SINCE all Namibians complain of poor performance in public schools, why can’t the government extend school hours to 16h30? At least by then learners can catch up, especially in secondary schools.