SMSes for Monday 27 September 2010

* AND the leader said: ‘You are all too stupid and cannot be trusted to elect your own leaders so I will arbitrarily impose rulers in each region’. And it was so, and the people thanked the leader for saving them from their own ignorance. No one cried over the democracy thrown out the window.

No place for a child* STATE coffers are looted with millions and corruption – often State-sponsored – is the order of the day. Do those responsible feel ‘guilty’ when they see the photos like ‘living on other people’s rubbish’? The photos could have been taken anywhere – a sad fact all over Namibia! 2030 here we come!- WaltrautFood for Thought* I DON’T understand how people can purposefully litter our towns and beautiful country. Last week I was driving behind a Proparcel van and the driver hurled an empty drink bottle out the window. Why? Who did he think would pick it up? This habit is a culture that needs to change. Intentional littering should be illegal. Please!* WHAT do citizens and visitors alike think of Namibian men urinating openly in view of the public, including children? Windhoek is covered in a stench of urine. Drivers, and taxi drivers in particular, on a main road will open the car door and sneeze or spit right there. Bouquets and Brickbats* TO the young man Vernon, thanks for helping us catch the thief that was trying to break in our house in Windhoek West on Thursday morning. You were brave to help and may God Bless you. Thank you very much.* SHEEFENI Nikodemus, I like your sports headline (‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’) of September 24. Well done.* THANK you to The Namibian for bringing us the stories of the poor. Maybe this will be an eye-opener for the Government fat cats. Are there charities or soup kitchens that one can donate to?* I WANT Superintendent (Johan) Kellerman to tell this nation how many warnings he gave to car washers in Eveline Street and how many he arrested for disregarding his warnings! And to the magistrate: don’t abuse the poor and the homeless. I challenge you both to look at the pictures on pages 1 and 7 of Friday, September 24’s The Namibian and tell us what your laws and by-laws are doing for those children.* SHAME on our Government for allowing people to eat from the rubbish dump. We have diamonds, uranium and fish.* BROLL Namibia, no apology for residents near Wernhil re your construction and late night noise?* NAMIBIA rates under the top 5 with regards to complaints laid against banks. That means Bank of Namibia is not protecting consumers.* ONE Police helicopter costing N$ 44 million? Am I the only person who think that amount is too much?- Helicopters are expensive but if used well can provide vital support to the Police in their work. – News Desk* THE University of Namibia wholly, or the Student Representative Council, in totality is totally unfair. How do they charge students N$50 for a cultural festival show?Sporting* MR B Rukoro and Mr J Muinjo for not coming to the studio to take part in ‘Soccer Pitch’ on Thursday just shows your respect for the public. Enough of you two.* NFA chaos. We want to see changes in the entire staff of the NFA. And regards the comparisons between the Brave Warriors and rugby, it is true in soccer there is maladministration. That’s why there is no progress.* THE current (soccer) management was here for 14 years and the national team’s rank went from 67 to 140 plus. Who will answer on this?* NPL the N$ 30 charge at the gate is really unrealistic in the current economic situation. It was only two seasons ago that you increased to N$ 20. This is big mistake.* OUR Premier League soccer champion will now get N$1 million. Nothing wrong with that, but can the relevant people please tell us why our premier league rugby champions can only get a mere N$50 000. Is the status of our rugby that low?Politics* THE article by Swapo Party Youth League about Rundu water cut-offs as political sabotage is misinformed, ridiculous and aimed at scoring cheap political points. Did they do research? In Ongwediva we get our water cut off even for owing the council less than N$200.* SWAPO and Namibian women in general are their own enemies when it comes to empowerment, they elect men despite the fact that they are a majority. – El Vaquerito, Namibia* TO Swapo leadership – why is the ‘zebra style’ (equal representation for women and men) not introduced in the Local Authorities?- Gender Sensitive, GobabisLaw and Order* ROBBERS are coming from Windhoek to Okahandja and targeting pay days to rob innocent people. Pay days are the 20th, 25th and 30th of each month. Chief of Police, deploy your police to patrol the town. The robbers are known. We don’t want to take the law into our hands to protect us like last Friday.Health Matters* ALLOW me to say something about vaccinations at Katutura. We are not happy with the shortage of medicine and pushing each other and the closing at 17h00 after we come from work. Until today the majority have not been vaccinated.* CAN the nurse at the Polytech please explain to us students why the clinic closes at 12h00 for lunch while it’s indicated on the door that the clinic will close at 13h00, as some of us only get time to visit the clinic at 12h00.* WHAT is wrong with Onandjokwe Hospital management? Do they really know the difference between supportive supervision and autocratic leadership? Also they must get enough staff for their hospital, mostly in the maternity department where nurses don’t even go for lunch.Education* WHY doesn’t the Ministry of Education find learners from all schools in Namibia, from Grades 5-12, who are doing well and have scored between 80 and 100 per cent in mathematics and science. They can build four schools: one in the North, South, East and West to accommodate and groom our own engineers and doctors and get them ready for universities and other institutions of higher learning.* THIS time Mr Iipanda got it wrong. Not all schools within the Oshana directorate have been electrified. Onekandu PS is one of the schools without electricity. Onyeka CS is another.Business as Usual* AIR travel: Now that Air Namibia is no longer flying to Luderitz and Oranjemund can Bay Air or some other operator take over? The route might be profitable for a smaller operator. Just a suggestion.* PLEASE, our Government should protect Namibian building contractors jobs. Those under N$20 million should be reserved for us. Let’s take a stand. What is so special about the Chinese? Who did these jobs before Independence? We deserve an answer.- UaundjaLabour Issues* I, as a school secretary, am very disappointed with the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu). Why are we paying membership fees if you cannot fight for us? We the school secretaries were left out of the bush allowance and with the re-grading we were again left out. What about school secretaries? Napwu, we want answers.Please Help* I WANT to know if the Anti-Corruption Commission is there for Government only or the private sector too? Where can I get hold of them? Can any one assist, please. I want to report corruption in our company.- Worried employeeIn and From the Regions* WE have been complaining about the illegal shebeen in the Omaruru Single Quarters and illegal electricity distribution by two businessmen in Hakahana but no change. Why?* SOME ethnic groups like double standards. Traditional authorities live and enjoy all the Western technologies but are treated by different rules and regulations in contrast to other groups.* MINISTER of Safety and Security Nangolo Mbumba: A Policeman who is below 25 years and weighs 60 kg is not a policeman but a school boy. Here in Caprivi we don’t have policemen. All we have is a Police Station. We need protection.- Concerned Caprivian JKM
* MINISTRY of Home Affairs. It was gazetted in August that the fee for a re-entry visa (24 months ) was reduced from N$3 150 to N$600. The regional offices at Tsumeb and Grootfontein have not been informed and demand the old price!* IS it Otjozondjupa only where nurses don’t wear proper uniforms because they don’t get them. They are forever out of stock. Where do the Police and Namibia Defence Force order? Maybe we must get from the same supplier.NBC* IN many countries people tune in to radio if they need to know the time. Not NBC. Why ?* MISS NBC was well organised. Keep it up* OK NBC, here’s the deal … you stick to making programmes and covering news (sometimes ) and leave beauty pageants to people who know how to do these things* I AM watching Miss NBC, which is a good thing, but tell me what is the problem that Miss Namibia is no longer being shown to us.Lost and Found* I FOUND a driver’s licence and ID for Mr Raymond Dido Diergaardt. Please contact Annely at 081-247-5084.* I SHILONGO Amalia Ndeumona lost my ID in Town. If found please call 081-470-0473.
Responses to recent SMSes* RIGHT of reply. SMS of September 24. ‘Chasing the Dots’ by Anonymous. Please be aware I regard personal attacks by those hiding behind anonymity as acts of cowardice and treat them with the contempt they deserve. However this gives me the opportunity to correct my typo where ‘It was many since’ should have read ‘It was many years since.’; the error diluted the intended innuendo for which I apologise. I thank (again) IPPR for the conference and their adjustments for the last-minute absence of the ‘missing links’. These absences reflect declining standards and parallel the cowardice of the anonymous critic.- Chris Smith* WE fully support Mr Vaatz in his challenge of the Municipality. Authorities are chosen by us to serve us. Not to do as they please and make themselves look important.* FIREARMS are neither good nor bad. The owner /user alone makes them good or bad! So stop blaming responsible firearm owners for those sick-minded individuals who do not fit into society.* TO the SMS on Blood Transfusion Namibia not visiting the North. They have been visiting Oshakati since September 20. Phone 081-251-0875 for their location.- Ndjaba* WHAT is wrong with Namibian women? One collects seed pods to provide for her seven children. Four rather overfed mothers complain about schools’ refusal to accept their children because of school fees. My questions are: Where are the fathers of the children? Why don’t the fathers support their children? Why do women have children if they know they can’t afford them? Why must other parents/people pay to provide for their children? There is no such thing as a single mother. In all pregnancies men are involved. Women stop having children whom you cannot care for financially. Do not complain when others refuse to accept the financial burden.* TO the writer of an SMS in The Namibian newspaper of September 23 saying: ‘Some estate agents don’t know the value of properties; a 2 bedroom house + extras for N$ 795 000 in Otjomuise, a low cost housing area.’ Please note a house can be 2 bedrooms with much potential regardless of which area it is in, for example, swimming pool, nice garden, electric fence, etc. The number of bedrooms is not the only thing which determines the value of the property. Another thing, when it comes to the amount the agent is using when marketing the property, that doesn’t mean that is the real value. It is not really necessary for an estate agent to be a qualified evaluator, an estate agent markets the property for the amount he or she gets from the client. Thanks.- Gabes