SMSes for Friday 20 August 2010

SMS Of The Day
n AS a previously-advantaged tour guide I want to appeal to all lodge owners: please pay your guides a decent wage. Some get paid in a month what I get paid in a day and they are good guides, really good!

Food for Thoughtn ALTHOUGH I am sure The Namibian’s powers that be do not agree with the money wasted by parastatals and municipalities on birthday messages to the President, the money thus spent is obviously too much for the newspaper to refuse. Seems everyone in Namibia has a price.n MATTER of fact: Estimated advertising costs for presidential birthday wishes in yesterday’s New Era and The Namibian (excluding costs for graphic designers): N$700 000! Imagine this money would have been spent on social projects or initiatives such as BIG. We could make a real change!Note: Please bear in mind that Government congratulatory ads would not have been printed in The Namibian because of the ban.These are public funds, but it is the prerogative of the private sector to decide how and on what to spend their money.- News deskBouquetsand Brickbatsn WELL done Nangof for taking the demo ban to the High Court! Glad to hear some organisations are brave enough to hassle the Government when they do not want any embarrassment during the SADC 30th jubilee! SADC should be protecting the people of member states’ human rights; not just celebrating bureaucracy!n WOW. We have a beautiful First Lady. A caring and concerned person who thinks of the people’s wellbeing. She is really caring and hardworking. A good example.- Julia Ndara.n KEEP it up Gwen, you have a great personality. I admire your sense of independence and urgency; something that reflects women’s liberty in the 2st century. Congratsn AFTER I listened to an interview with Gwen on ‘One on One’ on NBC; I concluded that she is a heroine. Long live Gwen! The Namibian readern MADAM Gwen Lister you told it exactly like it is on ‘One on One’ with such great passion. The Namibian nation will always love and respect you.n THANK you Comrade Robert Mugabe for recognising the contribution made by the Ovaherero people for the liberation of Namibia during your speech at the just ended SADC Summit.- Getzenn HENNING Melber you will soon be persona non grata; African governments don’t like such critics.n WHAT is wrong with The Namibian’s website? Very difficult to access; that’s to say if you can access it! Articles take years to load; if they load at all! Note: The site is situated inside the Namibian national network as much in support of local ISP’s as for server access. Bandwidth purchased from Telecom by ISP’s in Namibia is considerably more expensive than equivalent bandwidth in the Northern Hemisphere. As a popular site with between 5000 to 15000+ visitors per day we often experience congestion at peak times, usually from 08h00 to 11h00. Combined with national network outages and other issues the slowdowns can vary.- News Deskn I AM not against happy birthday wishes, but it becomes too many when it includes ministers! My question is: who pays for those adverts? Please Government of the Republic of Namibia take this seriously. The Office of the Prime Minister must tell us how much money was spent on those unnecessary wishes. The nation is hungry.n IF the most exciting news of the day is Richard Metcalfe’s spat with his wife and her wasting the court’s time with her charges, then we are a sad nation indeed!Many Happy Returnsn BIRTHDAY wishes to His excellency President Pohamba.What you have done for this nation with your resettlement portfolio is visible. Those with eyes can see it, the blind can touch it. May the Almighty guide and give you more strength and wisdom like Solomon of the Bible to lead this nation.- Abel Murise Kaimu, Omaheke region.n HAPPY 75th birthday Mr President Pohamba. We are proud of your leadership. May God bless you today and forever.- Patrickn DEAR President Pohamba, happy birthday and just know that the people love you.n HAPPY 75th birthday President Pohamba, may the Almighty Father guide you in leading this nation towards greater wisdom.-Public ServantNote: We cannot accomodate all the birthday greetings to President Pohamba, but many have been received- News deskIn and Fromthe Regionsn HOW many accidents (must happen) or people must die before the road between Windhoek and Okahandja can be expanded. Those who commute are at high risk. God be with us.n PLEASE Okahandja Police/Okahandja Municipality help the residents around and near the town graveyard.The Omatako canaln NAMWATER has a change of management taken place? We downstream of the Omatako canal have been without water for the last six months.n NAMWATER our debit orders are still deducted but you have stopped water flowing in the Omatako canal. Is that service delivery?Law and Ordern WHAT is it with the GRN number plates over Gauteng registered cars plates? Did the police investigate?n I TOO have been victim of credit card/debit card fraud with three different cards – one cloned from my local debit card and two new international bank cards stolen at the NamPost Office. In all three cases my banks paid me back – more than N$100 000 in total. And in one case the ‘little person’ (the shop worker using the cloned card) was caught and arrested by the Nampol Fraud Unit. While I am grateful for that until the ‘big guys’ (the cloners and the thieves in the post office) are caught and the shops are forced to pay back the banks for the fraudulent purchases/illegal cash transactions by employees, the fraud will not stop. Only when the shops have to suffer the loss will the owners force their shop people at the till to check picture IDs or check that the name on the card matches the ID and the photo matches the person presenting the card and that the name on the card matches the name on the till slip.City Fathers Please…n CITY of Windhoek also ban the use of some building materials in most suburbs such as the use of wire fencing, unpainted shiny roof materials as is the case with places like Auasblick. And enforce wall plastering and painting; clean yards and sidewalks to improve the look of our town. Fine those that don’t comply. Some people drive nice cars but they don’t make an effort to look after their houses for years. Make the effort if you can.Old Soldiersn PLEASE Namibians what is wrong with us? I am a veteran with a number. Now you are asked to provide a project plan within a space of two weeks. Where will I get the money to run around and pay for the business plan in that short space of time and let alone just even get a plot or a place? Please come clean and leave us alone. Eat your millions as you please. God is with us.- Shamuyarira, Oshkuku, Omusati RegionAnd Justice for Alln WHAT happened to Shorty Erasmus and the co-accused’s case? Why so quiet? We need to hear. It’s been a long time please.Note: At this stage the case is scheduled to resume in the High Court in Windhoek from October 25.- News DeskCity Fathers Please…n TODAY I got a shock. I have just witnessed two boys from Ella du Plessis buying drugs from the drug dealer just opposite their school hostel gate. This is the house that we as residents have complained about but nothing is done. What are the Namibian and City Police doing?Labour Issuesn TRANSNAMIB again. Last time you went on strike in solidarity for your MD to be reinstated your actions incurred losses of millions for TransNamib. Please ask your MD now for a bail-out from his salary because we, the taxpayers, won’t foot your irresponsible actions.Health Mattersn I AM so disappointed by our New Start Centre. I went there 16h15 to get a test and they told me I was late. They don’t do tests at that time because they do admin work. The sign outside reads 09h00 to 17h00. Where can I go for an HIV test after this time as some of us have to work?n THE health services in Khorixas, Kunene Region make we wonder. Nurses on night shifts are working alone at casualty and patients are experiencing a lack of attention. Please Dr (Richard) Kamwi look into this matter. What do you think will happen in case of an emergency and there is only one nurse?Educationand Trainingn WHY does the government loan for students going to study in the UK not cater for their living expenses as well? Due to that a lot of students can’t go because they don’t qualify for a visa. Please look into this.n WHEN is the bush allowance coming for real? Why can’t the people of Nantu, Ministry of Finance, the Education Minister clear the confusion. Is it next month or next year April?n I JUST don’t understand how the IOL can charge students N$1 900 per subject for a re-write while Unam and the Polytech charge less than N$500 per subject. Does IOL consider their poor service and the financial difficulties of their students or are they just there to make money?- HDn MR Abraham Iyambo please we teachers do not deserve six days ‘holiday’ after such hardworking months. Please Mr Iyambo you should consider this August holiday. We are human and need enough rest. We deserve it.n WE would like the Ohangwena Education Directorate to investigate how debating activities are handled with emphasis on: 1. expenditure 2. Why our learners are accompanied to national championships by strangers every year 3. Whether democracy exists in debating structures. 4. Why only junior secondary phase teachers are chosen to accompany learners. Something appears to be fishy. Debating is just another money eating scheme in Ohangwena.n MINISTRY of Education what is your problem? When are you going to pay our tuition fees at Unam – those of us who signed contracts in June!n PARENTS, teachers and learners in Oshikoto Region want to know why only their learners should remain at school after exams to wait for reports, even in schools which mail all reports. Why not send them home to ease the burden on schools and hostels like in other regions? Can the Minister intervene.Generaln CAN the Anti-Corruption Commission please define what a bribe is? If you receive something for efficient service or for a job well done is that a bribe? And you must define a reward.Sportingn MR Frans Gertze you hit the target. The Namibian Schools Sports Union is to be blamed for the poor coordination of sports structures in schools. As teachers we were committed to train learners in various sports codes without any recognition whatsoever. We feel we are being used and dumped when our athletes qualify for international tours. We train and select them but are left out. Only those in the NSSU reap what we sow to enjoy those fancy trips. We are tired.- Kaambuan GOOD luck to JJD and Ranga – hope you guys win the race to run the NFA office. Namibian football needs the change.Please Helpn CAN anybody advise where one can take empty cartridges of Brother products (almost the size of a shoe box) for recycling? None of the shops that actually sell the products want to take them (about 20 of them). Our last resort would be to dump them in the bins; which we are trying to avoid in the first place. But if there is no alternative; ah well…n CAN somebody help me. Where should I go if I want to find out whether this company is legitimate or not. The said company claims to be a Debit Administrator. Please help!Lost and Foundn TECA Pedro from Angola I found your passport card. For more info contact me at 081-305-6657.n I HUBERT Pouna lost my Cameroonian passport. If found please contact me at 081-215-2651 or 081-394-9692.n I HILMA L Noa lost my documents: ID, student and Bob cards on August 14. If found call or SMS me on 081-297-7737.n HELP! Lost Namibian passport! A Kanime! If found please call or send SMS to: 081-452-Service Pleasen WHAT is wrong with Nampost Courier Service? I was supposed to receive an envelope from Uis two weeks ago! Today I am still waiting. I’m speechless? Do something?NBCn The new Director-General and new board are just people with different faces put there to be used for the upcoming regional and local elections. How can NBC not show any of the demos countrywide? The ban on them was so serious it was taken to the High Court and declared illegal? Wasn’t that news? The chairman of the board must rescue himself and his image immediately as things will get worse.n I AM a parent of four children. I happened to watch this youth programme ‘School Grounds’ and was pleased to find how educative and fun the programme is. And as for the presenters they are good. I would like to urge the NBC to please air more programmes like that to educate our young ones.n I THINK there should be NBC 1 for political affairs and NBC 2 specially for entertainment. I cannot stand this single NBC any longer.n THE NBC TV does not give boxing the air time it deserves. Boxing is one of the sports that is doing Namibia proud but our potential boxers, as well as the fans, are not exposed to the game because there are no more boxing programmes on NBC TV. Please NBC do something!And the Winner Isn CAN anyone tell me what happened to the Black Africa BMW Competition that most of us took part in through SMS. It cost us N$5 and there has been no announcement of any winner?Responses torecent SMSesFrom the Ministryof Safety and SecurityThe Namibian Police Force would like to react to an article in The Namibian newspaper’s SMS page, which cited allegations pertaining to an anonymous Regional Commander who is allegedly being escorted.We appreciate the author’s concern; however, as a Regional Commander and a representative of the Inspector General of the Police in the regions, these officers are entitled to a variety of privileges, among others personal security. Therefore the author of the said short message needs to acquaint him/herself with some of the privileges those officers are entitled to before arriving at any conclusion.Having escorts within Police regional jurisdiction is solely the Regional Commander’s prerogative. Regional Commanders are also entitled to appoint a driver as well as bodyguard and that depends on the security analysis in a given region.In many instances escorts are executed when visitors or delegations of high prominence are visiting regions and they are being escorted throughout their entire programmes. Otherwise, Commanders also dispatch in convoys especially when attending to serious reported crime incidents. The public should also know that safety and security is for each and every citizen, including police officers. Thus, if senior officers require protection it can also be provided because they are at times operating in a risky and dangerous environment.The Namibian Police Force is thus appealing to whoever was the author(s) of he said SMS to appreciate the manner under which the Regional Commanders are consciously carrying out their noble duties and knowlingly the danger that may come their way while carrying out their daily activities.If the concerned person has further queries to raise he/she is welcome to contact Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu at 061-2093371 or Inspector Kauna Shikwambi at 061-2093485.CI AH AmulunguSecond in Charge: PublicRelations Divisionn TO the writer who commented on the seating arrangements of the Heads of State, have you seen the European conferences attended by their Heads of States? They come together for a common purpose and that’s business, not to be lavished with luxuries. How many unemployed people are in the area where you are?n AS long as maybe 75 per cent of the nation lives in pathetic shacks the ‘dignitaries’ at the SADC meetings can sit on the floor as far as I’m concerned!n TO the person who asked whether the charcoal industry is regulated the answer is theoretically yes; actually no.n THURSDAY’S SMS of the Day is really something that every Namibian should take to heart. We have so much good. We must stop complaining about little things and really teach our children moralsn DEAR editor, I don’t think it was proper for you guys to publish the SMS about drugs being sold in a particular street and location. There must be a surprise element. Culprits don’t need to be alerted via such an SMS. In future please advise and refer to relevant unit dealing with drugs.

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