SMSes for Monday 14 January 2013
SMS Of The Day *IT is a fact that the more languages you speak the more you are informed about the cultures and norms of those cultural groups. One doesn’t get to speak a language unless you learn it at school or by interacting closely with the people who speak that language. Most multi-lingual Namibians I know are liberals. They fit in everywhere because they understand the different tribes and don’t stereotype. Let’s embrace multilingualism and learn from others.
Food for Thought
*THIS selfish attitude about donating blood riles me. The costs involved in providing safe clean equipment supplied, trained staff for the donor’s comfort, ensuring safe clean blood for the recipient, admin and lab testing, are but a few tasks of the BTS. Where is our social conscience towards our fellow man, to donate free of charge? And if you are a recipient, thank God there was blood for you! For any medication or medical service one has to pay. We Namibians are too ‘handout’ orientated.
*I DON’T understand and sometimes refuse to understand. I read the article about establishing a food bank for impoverish Namibians and the Deputy PM is asking for N$160 000 as start up capital. That’s a joke! That amount will not cater for all impoverish people but the government can budget millions of dollars for projects which end up as white elephants. Our leaders must get real.
– Crying citizen
*I DON’T understand the education ministry. For all these years, after the establishment of the Constitution, the government violated one of children’s fundamental rights: The provision of free primary education at government schools. Phil ya Nangoloh or Ombudsman John Walters, or who ever is responsible for protecting fundamental rights, take the Ministry of Education to court to explain why in the world they would violate the supreme law (constitution)?
Bouquets and Brickbats
*GOOD Lord! How can you have a toilet in the theatre of a hospital? A theatre is supposed to consist of s sterilised environment. Go to the toilet before the operation!
*MINISTER of Health, shame on you for allowing the country’s hospitals to go down the way they have. No toilets in the theatre!
*WHERE are we going with NCI Chicken? I think South African chicken was better priced. We cannot afford Namibian chicken any more. Can someone explain why? We want to eat more chicken and less red meat.
*SWAKOPMUND seems to have quite a problem with sugar-mummies. My marriage was also broken up because my wife was playing around with a school boy. Many of her friends knew what was going on but did nothing about the matter. Then we have schools dishing out condoms which encourages this behaviour!
*HENK Mudge, thank you for such a unifying message in the article written by Catherine Sasman. You are a true Namibian! You are 100 percent correct. Racial discrimination in Namibia is a hurdle. The sad part is that both blacks and whites are guilty! Even the Chinese who are our guests are falling into this mess! Can you propose a solution?
* THEO Namases, I’m so proud of you. Don’t give attention to detractors because they don’t own your life.
*CUSTOMER care officials at the Ministry of Finance are very rude and unfriendly. Where are we heading? We need to change our attitudes towards clients. In fact we have a number of graduates who are roaming the streets without jobs. I think they have better skills.
– Service Please
Suggestion Box
*LAWMAKERS of this country, please put and end to the fictitious house prices in Windhoek and the country at large! For how long will the law allow unlawful house prices?
*HAGE Geingob please look into the issue of land. We need shelter. We trust you would make us, low earners, proud.
Education
*I’M pleased by the decision to provide free education to children who are in Grade 7 and lower. This free education is for government schools. About private schools; you are able to pay school fees for your children and that’s why you take your children to private school.
*MINISTER of Education, help us. It is allowed to repeat Grade 11 at Ashipala SSS in the Omusati Region but at other schools pupils are not allowed to repeat?
*KHOMAS Region’s teachers downed tools last year demanding higher salaries and the region is at the bottom of the rankings. Other regional directors are showing their views on the last year’s grade 10 results but Khomas seems not to care. Stop blaming the system and pupils and do your job.
*ABRAHAM Iyambo, help us because we have good marks but we got G symbols in English, a foreign language. What can we do? Please help your learners.
*MINISTRY of Education should come and rescue the learners and parents of Oshikuyu Combined School in the Etayi circuit. Our Grade 8 kids didn’t have a Maths teacher for almost two terms and now they are made to repeat a grade because of an F in Maths. This school has been in a mess since the former principal retired!
*MINISTRY of Education and NSFAF: Why do you still keep issuing letters of funding to students who keep failing their academic year? Are they not supposed to first bring their studies up to date? Please check your records properly as some of these students are even studying in foreign countries. Please ensure that your staff are doing a proper job as this is government money wasted.
*CAN the Minister of Education and NSFAF tell us when NIMT students are going to get their refunds? It’s a new year. We need changes and to be considered.
*ACC, please look into the policies of HRDC (NamWater). Students are getting GRN loans but we don’t know how much we receive, use, not use and how much the courses cost. We do not receive any tool boxes.
*RICH Namibians take poor Namibians for fools because rich children will not go to government school so the poor don’t get quality education in government schools. Shame on the Namibian government. Think for yourself poor Namibian people!
*FREE education, free stationery! Good shot! At least the OVCs will not face humiliation any more! But what about copy- and computer fees? Must learners still pay them and if that is the case, then the OVCs will not get any copies! What then?
*‘FREE Education’ is finally free in Namibia! The Ministry of Education and MGECW please look into fees charged by some pre-primary schools/kindergartens and crèches. It’s exorbitant; (N$ 650 x 12 months = N$7 800 per year) almost equivalent to tertiary education.
*I WENT to enrol my son at Eros primary school today, and they requested school fees! Apparently they run the school activities from these fees. Why did the ministry make this public, without consulting schools first?
*REGIONAL directorate of Khomas, please tell us when will the Centaurus High School boys hostel open? Our children are suffering. Please do something. It has been many years now that the hostel is closed!
Response to Previous SMSes
*A WEEK ago I wrote to you complain about family and friends not returning my Christmas greetings. I have spoken to many of these friends and they have told me they did not receive any messages, so I have a suspicion that my service provider never relayed my messages to my friends and family.
*TO the SMS on alcohol! Namibians should stop abusing alcohol! Not just during the festive season!
*I AGREE that there must be a full investigation conducted regarding the Lazarus Shaduka escape. Something is fishy here. What legal loophole hogwash we are hearing? Somebody must be held accountable.
*MY fellow Namibian who says that he/she became very negative towards the nation by reading SMSes in The Namibian and who want the paper to publish something else, my advice is; first tear the SMSes page out and throw it away before reading your paper.
In and From the Regions
*CAN the Oshakati Town Council please do something about the roads? We need tarred roads, especially in Oshakati East. There’s water all over the roads and it looks dirty.
*THE in-progress gravel road from Omuthiya to Amilema is a disaster. There have not even been heavy showers and already it is being washed away. We need answers and improvement on the following: 1. Why is the contractor using labourers to dig and put the soil on the road and paying them peanuts instead of using tractors? 2. Why is the contractor using mud soil on the road instead of digging for stones which are easily accessible in that area? 3. Why is the progress on this road so slow? 4. Why is the road not straight like any other road? 5. We demand for a better lifelong safe road and not a quick money making road by inexperienced contractors who are putting our lives in danger!
*DEAR Richard Kamwi, I want to ask you to come and check the Tsumeb Municipality’s water. The residents tell me every day that the water is coffee brown and it tastes horrible. My clients come everyday for clean reversed osmosis still water. Please bring a health inspector so that he can taste Omeva’s water and the municipality’s water.
–Your old colleague, Willie Horn
*PLEASE do something about our electricity in Keetmanshoop. We buy a N$50 card and only get 27.50 units. Even in small places like Aus people buy for N$50 and get 33 units. Really, Selco is killing us. Something must be done.
*GOOD to be working at Otavi town council. Drive around at the end of the month and cut water to get paid. Shame tog.
Lost and Found
*I ZORAIDA NK Haufiku lost my ID on January 10 in the vicinity of Home Affairs in Windhoek. If found, please contact 0816367581and 0812237332.
*I PICKED up the drivers licence of J Jansen. Please contact me at 0818800239.
*CZ Matias’ learner’s licence was found. Contact 0812210206.
*I, KAUNOMBILI F Hamutenya lost my ID in Walvis Bay. If found, please SMS me at 0814227326.
*TT KOMESHO and LM Nakuta, I found your drivers licences in Windhoek. Contact me at 0812810418.