SMS for Tuesday 30 JUNE 2009

* CONGRATULATIONS South Africa, you inspire the whole SADC region. You managed to host the Fifa Confederations Cup successfully and effectively. It shows our ability. Thanks, you make Africans proud, and shine for 2010. God bless Africa. Best wishes from the Ndaitwa family.

* IN addition to the SMS about good honest people, can you please publish the taxi drivers’ number plate and his name. Those are the guys who we want to support. To the taxi driver, may God bless you in everything you do. You are a good example for our Namibian people and other taxi drivers.

Food For Thought
* HI Namibia. Do we have a ‘next generation’? I am categorically in doubt. Our kids are engulfed in a very serious, critical state of moral decay. With all the technology, intended to be a good thing, our kids tend to misuse any good thing at their disposal. Wake up parents! The 13-year-old little ‘angel’ there in your house is something else out of your sight. Mostly our daughters are victims, but they are sometimes the culprits. Maybe we have to call up a mass demonstration against our children just to give them a very loud message that they are on the wrong track. Yes, you can pepper me with sayings like ‘discipline starts at home’. But what about the irresistible influences out there? Let’s do something NOW to save at least our daughters.- Martin * CAN those who are giving responses or feedback on behalf of their institutions and organisations please provide full names and details to prevent the line between personal and professional from becoming blurred. I think the response from Natis is very arrogant. – Lite Rite- Perhaps, but also reflects the frustration of staff members working there. – NewsdeskRest In Peace MJ
* PLEASE you guys at The Namibian and others let’s have a candlelight vigil for Michael on Thursday at Zoo Park one week after he died.* THE untimely death of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is indeed an earth-shattering shock and loss to his family, friends and his fans the world over, including me. The late Michael Jackson was probably one of the few people of African descent to have won the hearts and minds of many music fans in all households of the world, black and white. Despite his human shortcomings, in my opinion he was the greatest entertainer to have ever graced this world. His music and legacy shall surely live on. I salute him forever. May His Soul Rest In Peace!- Elijah Ngurare, Nkurenkuru* MY condolences goes to the Jackson family and the fans around the world. May your soul rest in peace MJ. You will always be remembered. We love you!* THE Namibian is very selective, why did you not publish any picture of Michael Jackson with the former President when the pop star was here? Yet you had one of him with Mandela. At least localise the story. You have issues with our founding president or what?- Our photo archive is being upgraded and we were not able to find that particular set [of Michael’s visit to Namibia] of pictures. – Newsdesk* THE Namibian, what’s wrong with you if you can’t publish late news in your paper to be printed in the following day’s edition like the death of Michael Jackson. I was supposed to be in Friday’s edition!- Sam Samuehl- The sad news only started filtering through from the international news organisations around 22h00, two hours after our newspaper had gone to the printers. Also, it was unclear for a couple of hours whether he was in a coma or dead. – Newsdesk* HOW quickly we forget that were it not for his wealth which allowed him to pay off the family of his victim then Michael Jackson might well be behind bars now as a child molester. His fame and fortune gave him licence to prey on children and he only escaped conviction by buying Jordie Chandler’s silence. By his own admission he shared his bed with young boys – anyone else would be serving a long sentence for his behaviour. – I doubt that we will ever know the truth about many aspects of Michael Jackson’s life. However, it is fair to say that much of what is levelled against him appears to be based on peddled assumption. Michael Jackson was never convicted on any child molesting charges. Nor has anyone substantiated that ‘he preyed on children’ at will. On the payment to Jordan Chandler’s family, Jackson, when put under deep hypnosis, said he felt incredibly hounded and tired and it was the easiest thing to do. There have also been reports that Jordan Chandler has subsequently admitted to lying. We should also remember that Jackson was easy tabloid fodder, and also an easy target for potential exploiters. – News EditorBouquets And Brickbats
* THUMBS up for Mr Geingob arm-wrestling the EU. What kind of nonsense is Mr Güllner talking? Why did they then agree to any further meetings since the 2007 interim to discuss amendments, if it was never to be part of any agreement. What a lame excuse!* TO Steven !Naruseb and WMP crew, well done for the great live band show. You guys are the best. Can’t wait for next show.- Ou Kauno* WHAT a pity that the Namibian rugby team had to win on Saturday in a stadium with empty chairs because the majority of them decided it is cheaper to stay at home and support SA rugby. How very loyal of them, and shame on them at the same time.* POOR NFA Cup. 1 – National anthem and guest of honour confused. 2 – Water break during winter. 3 – Limited Police and security for crowd invasion. 4 – Prize-giving disorganised.* NBC-TV is too one-sided. Why it does it not want to show the opposition parties’ star rallies? Especially those of the RDP. Sometimes it shows the speaker with few people around him. We want to see everybody present there. It causes us to think about rigging of elections in November late this year. Why just only Swapo? Politics
* THIS is in response to The Namibian’s response to the reporting on rallies and meetings of political parties; do the media houses only wait for invitations, can’t they be proactive, be there and be counted?- We can’t attend events we don’t know about and it is not our job to tout for any political party. The media constantly have more demands made on them than they can possibly meet. If we are informed in time, we do our best to attend as many rallies as we can. – Newsdesk General
* PLEASE provide us with the. Bag-a-Kid telephone number, it is very cold. Thank you. * I FAIL to understand why some Namibians are praising (US President) Barack Obama. In fact Obama is not an African as many Africans claim. Obama will not change the American policies. Let’s be proud of ourselves because Obama is for the Americans and not for us.- Makanda K Aluteni * I WOULD rather build schools than palaces to impress others at the expense of our future generation.* NOW that the President has taken up residence at the new State House, why is Robert Mugabe Avenue in front of the old State House still being blocked? – The living quarters at the new State House are still under construction and President Hifikepunye Pohamba is still living at the old State House. – NewsdeskRunning The Show
* EPA with the EU: Namibia, albeit largely correct in principle, punches far above its clout! Angola and SA do not need the EPA; Angola has oil and sells most of it to China and SA already has a free trade agreement with the EU. It is us who broke the unity in Sacu by not joining Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland in signing. Geingob’s, Lindeque’s and Rumpf’s egos? Our President ought to rein them in.* RUSSIA is to join mineral exploiters in Namibia. It’s nothing I’m proud of because its not going to benefit ordinary Namibians in the long term, just like Namdeb, Rössing and other mining actors. Just when we reached 50/50 with Namdeb, diamond sales went bust worldwide. By the time Namibia asks for equity in oil extraction, green energy would overtake fossil fuel. Russia is more interested in becoming a giant energy player in competition with China, EU and USA. I feel sorry for my country.- Patriot* DEAR GRN please let’s face it, I am a black commercial farmer and am worried by the way the resettlement of farms is handled or done. We who are trying our best are being affected by idle people who use drugs and alcohol to carry out crime. We are not prepared to invest further, because the situation is getting out of hand. Ludwigshaven, Botha next to Tsumeb are examples. Queen Sofia is another and there are many more. Please let’s create platforms where we can find assistance. We need to work on this issue otherwise we are doomed to be stuck with problems which are not reversible. Namibians we need to go back to the drawing board. I am prepared to share my success with others only if they are prepared to work. Please.* WHO controls bars and clubs in Namibia? Some of them also practise corruption. What gives a public bar the right to charge an entrance fee? Who controls club door ticket sales? A system needs to be implemented to tax their door ticket income. Deputy Finance Minister rather tackle this issue than speculating Namibian musicians owe you millions. Where do you get those figures from? Wish I could have a meeting with you but according to your secretary you too busy.- PAACity Fathers Please…
* THIS is an urgent request to Windhoek City Police (WCP): I do business about three to four times a week at Spares Centre in the Southern Industrial Area. Ninety-nine per cent of the time someone will park me in which means I have to wait or squeeze through other cars to get out if possible. This unlawful parking is getting out of hand, and at times violent, therefore my plea for WCP to intervene. I suggest WCP make random rounds and ticket, or better, tow these unlawful cars away and charge the owner/driver the cost incurred.* SOMEONE is going to get killed on the Katutura off-ramp onto the main road to Okahandja. This has been turned into a fulltime pick-up point with people jumping into the traffic in front of cars to slow them down. Please City Police or Traffic Police do something before something dreadful happens.Health Matters
* SOMEONE please tell me what’s going on with Namibian nurses. Last week I went to Khomasdal Clinic and complained that I was coughing and would like to have a TB test. The nurse just took my pulse and to my surprise prescribed Panado pills. What have Panado pills to do with coughing? – Robert Marlon Tjanika (WCE)* MINISTRY of Health. What mitigations did you put in place regarding the potential spread of HIV and AIDS through barbershops? In And From The Regions
* WHOEVER is responsible for the roads at Outjo must please make a plan. It’s a disaster. The other pain is the graveyard: it’s like a bush. We are ashamed to bring outsiders to our town for functions.- Mamsie* CAN the Government please do something to Groot Aub road or are you forgetting we are also voters. Please we want to see something happen to the road* SWAKOPMUND Municipality. Tamariskia streets are very rough, full of potholes. Would you please grade them just like you do in Vineta and Kramersdorp.