SMSes for Monday 07 May 2012

SMS Of The Day
*THE history of the struggle brought our leaders the fruits you now possess. You have attained a position of respect and honour for your dedication towards us, your people! You never wavered and never surrendered! You all fought bravely and you fought well! You did all that just for us! So we could be free! It would be a shame for you to retire at the end of your dedication and time in a leadership role of our country with shame, being stripped of credibility with us having lost a lot of respect for you and left with little trust in you! I’m talking to every leader of the Namibian soil regardless of rank or party! We chose you as our leaders and in leading you must lead. Especially yourselves: first in honesty, with compassion, dignity and love! You have done a great job from freeing us to establishing us as a people, a country united. It would be a disgrace if you destroy the very unity you fought for!

Food for Thought*I AGREE with the tradition of the plain pine coffin. It is wonderful as you come into this world with nothing and go out with nothing.Bouquets and Brickbats*WELCOME back Mr President Pohamba! For a while there I thought that Namibia was leaderless in a state of anarchy and lawlessness. Everybody doing what they want especially the Chinese. That’s because your voice was not audible (or rather simply absent). Kudos for the stern tongue-lashing dished out to the Chinese companies. We cannot allow nonsense in our country when the Chinese don’t tolerate the same in theirs or even disadvantage their own citizenry.*IT is fair reporting that you note in your article on page 3 of Friday’s paper that in fact China supported both Swapo and Swanu during the liberation struggle. It is a pity when people twist the truth to solicit donor funding. God bless you.*CONGRATS guys for Thursday’s paper. It was spectacular and nice and thick unlike Wednesday’s paper. Enjoyed everything, especially entertainment. Keep it up.*THE Weekender, thank you for bringing us the stories on our celebrities when they were kids, but why didn’t you publish complete stories? It would’ve been interesting to read.- Maria, Windhoek*WHO’S behind the advert campaign for the Champion Boerewors 2012′? Why such aggressive ugly photos of the ”contestants’? They look like animals! Very very off-putting!*’WHITE controlled media’. Is that all Mr Ya Nangoloh can tell us about the press in our country? He knows very well, just like any one of us, that to concentrate and write largely about those unfortunate or poor and ignore the successful one would lead any newspaper anywhere in the world to total bankruptcy. Please be realistic. We don’t want The Namibian or any other newspaper to close down. But don’t forget, there are also other kinds of colours and not only black and white.- Filipovic*IN response to T Itembu and K Basson’s article titled ‘Religion is Superstition’. You listed some of the crimes that were committed under the guise of religion. Can you also educate us about the millions of people that were killed by ‘non religious’ people such as Stalin in the Soviet Union? And also by that man in Cambodia, whose name I forgot.- Frans*DEAR Editor. The article by Itembu and Basson on his radial views regarding religion refers. The writers ascribe their disconcerting opinions to an earlier commentary by yourself. I will not dwell to comment on what the two writers wrote but just need you to confirm if indeed you wrote such article. If you did then I politely would like to express my displeasure in The Namibian. I consider it a gross abuse of your status to inform. Yes, people are free to express their views but surely it’s pure mischief on your part to use a decent family paper to advance your simplistic and myopic view of life. Please assure me you were misquoted! God bless.- G Ndengu*YOU are right Mr Black, such ads are wasteful indeed but dear Editor, The Namibian is guilty of promoting such practice. Check page 2 of all last week’s editions.Cassinga Day*AS we commemorate the 34th anniversary of the Cassinga massacre today, we hold back tears of vengeance for those who sacrificed and lost lives. We hold back tears for those survivors who today are testimony to that brutal attack on freedom fighters. We hold back tears of celebration for our victory over apartheid. We hold back tears when rampant corruption and abject poverty ravage communities. We hold back tears when unemployment and a lack of housing are destroying the moral fabric of our society. We cry not for the dead but for the living who cannot put bread on the table to feed their families. We cry for the riches of our country taken away to build castles in far off lands. We cry when see a few elite of the ruling party swimming in pools of milk and honey while the majority of the masses languish in pools of poverty. We must stand today and reflect seriously on whether we are soon to be a failed nation or a winning nation.- JH, Cassinga survivor*COMRADES please we want to watch programmes on Cassinga Day as bornfrees of this country. We need to know the history and what Cassinga really is and what really happened on that day, not highlights of political events please. As youth we are supposed to know. And NBC kept repeating the same thing over and over. They should have prepared different programmes.*PLEASE show the full video on Cassinga ‘The Aim Was Independence’.*DEAR fellow Namibians, we don’t celebrate Cassinga Day but we commemorate it.Business as Usual*CAN the TransNamib board of directors please tell us why they stopped the passenger train between Windhoek and Gobabis? Please restart it we are struggling with these cars.Education*HOW about giving school principals a five year term? I’ve noticed some believe they own schools now plus they can’t deliver.Health Matters*PEOPLE get scared of the HIV programmes at work. I also don’t like it because colleagues like gossiping. Stop it please.Labour Issues*IN his State of the Nation address President Pohamba claimed that 27 000 jobs were created through the Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (Tipeeg) so far. Where exactly were these jobs created? Which region and which sector created them because the unemployed are still standing at the robots in the city. Did the government register all unemployed for record purposes and to make sure created jobs are given to those who really need them?In and From the Regions*IS Roads Authority aware of the health hazard caused by dust threatening the community of Onethindi, Ondangwa? People have been inhaling clouds of dust for nearly two months now. When is this road going to be repaired?*SPEED humps/bumps erected in some northern towns are so dangerous.*IS the Ministry of Works and Transport inspecting the newly constructed Tsumkwe, Tsintsabis-Katwitwi road? That road has many patches and it won’t last. It is cracking because it can’t take pressure from cars and trucks.Service Please*PLEASE MTC do something about 3G network coverage in Otavi. The network is so so slow.*SPAR Khomasdal is a beautiful new shop, but your paypoint system received very little thought. No express till, the queue stretches to the back of the shop, customers with up to 10 articles can be moved much faster.*TO Hungry Lion outlets they should know that not everyone likes chilli. This spoils our meals.*DSTV please brush-up on your customer service. There is nothing more annoying than taking a long trip to Multichoice to pay our monthly subscription just to come home and discover the programmes are still deactivated. Worse still, is the fact that your lines go unanswered. Introducing a toll-free number would be a great start. We can’t keep making phone-calls at our own expense because of technical problems that arise due to poor service.Responses to recent SMSes*I COMPLETELY agree with the SMS in response to the one on ‘Leadership to Breedership’. Let rights and democracy not become the insulting ground against our Lord Jesus. It is becoming common these days that non-churchgoers insult what they do not understand. The gospel is real and powerful.- Sky*THE media is in this country to educate our dear brothers and sisters, as well as all within the borders, regarding issues as they are raised every time. We must face our own media as Namibians and provide solutions as asked.*HISTORICALLY a town earned its name, people have accepted it. Now they sit around thinking of things to stir up emotions. Leave Luderitz’s name as is.*ON the issue of the Rally for Democracy and Progess (RDP) donating material to a school, I don’t think that has to do with the principal being a member of the RDP. We must understand that everyone has the resposibility to develop Namibia or is there a list of who should not? This is a good example to other opposite parties. If they they can’t now, when will they?*I AM a Swapo supporter and I don’t think it’s bad if an opposition party member is a patron of a certain school. The rules are that no political activities are allowed inside school grounds. And if this is bad, ruling party members and supporters can help all schools with their needs. It does not mean that school is for the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), it’s for the Ministry of Education.