SMSes for Thu 14 May 09

* HOW can an ice cream be sold at Halali camp in Etosha for 10 dollars more than in Windhoek? Let’s stop ripping off visitors and tourists.

* HOW can an ice cream be sold at Halali camp in Etosha for 10 dollars more than in Windhoek? Let’s stop ripping off visitors and tourists. Isn’t there anyone monitoring the unrealistic prices that are keeping the man in the street away from our national heritage?

Food For Thought
* I WAS horrified by the attitude that it is unfortunate that only 3,9% of our wild species are threatened. Seemingly if it was more, tourism would be better. Does this imply that it would be much better if they were all threatened? What a sad thought!
* THIS is to one caller on Oshiwambo Radio on the early morning messages of May 13 that the RDP must not use their Swapo word ‘comrade’.. The word comrade is an English word, borrowed from French, for a brother fighting for a common cause so it was not invented by Swapo. It is a free word and everybody who wants has a right to use it!

Politics
* ADMIT that the Presidential Commissions of Inquiry were shams. Wasted tax money to give official credence to rumours. They yielded and will yield nothing even if published. Society is not critical about such waste. Some enjoyed it, media fuelled it and it became soap operas in many households. People’s reputations questioned by unqualified persons. Namibia does not have a clue about how they operate. No wonder we did not have any follow-up to that mess!
* TO all political analysts, would you please write a political directive on how parties should conduct their activities? If you can predict mishaps, why can’t you then direct the lost? Critics against whoever won’t help us. Please be like the disciples, they wrote the Bible against all odds.
* IF the Swapo Politburo can override disciplinary hearings, then what is the point of executives to perform and do good job? Is this not corruption?
* THE confusion around the appointment of the new DG for NBC is typical as to how things are done at the NBC. Maybe the NBC board must resign and Swapo, with the elections in sight, must stop fuelling the confusion.
* TO E Ngurare: loosen up a bit, young man! The big wide world and Namibia are not painted in the colours blue, red and green only …

Bouquets And Brickbats
* THE help desk at Katutura Hospital was an excellent idea. I often visit the hospital. The nurse working there is very friendly and helpful. Thanks for taking care of us.
* IT’S refreshing to get such excellent service from a State hospital like what we got from Keetmanshoop Hospital maternity ward. Thank you and God bless!
* WHY is it that the Ongwediva College of Education’s graduation keynote speakers did not turn up? Please Mr (Nangolo) Mbumba, investigate. We are fed up with this failure.
* DSTV compact bouquet is a rip-off! We pay half the fee but only get two movie channels, the worst ones of their six. The movies shown on 106 and 108 are usually very old or B-rated junk. We can’t all afford your exorbitant fee but we deserve better than this!
* THANK you MTC for the promotion of laptops and broadband for Unam and Poly students but please forward the promotion to teachers because we are also your customers and we are teaching your future customers. Please do something as soon as possible. – Sir Nangolo D
* SHAME on you The Namibian, for putting Phillip Ford’s opinions about Hosea Kutako on page 3 of all places! I’m all for freedom of expression, but opinions (and stories) like that serve no purpose except to open the floodgates for unconstructive criticism like Ford’s. – Jonathan Meyer (disappointed journalist)

Running The Show
* A BLOATED civil service does not necessarily guarantee efficient and effective service delivery. The following would have been better for Namibia: Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Traditional Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Ministry of Education, Sport and Arts Development; Ministry of Gender Equality, Youth and Child Welfare; Ministry of Defence and National Service; Ministry of Mines, Energy and Environmental Affairs; Ministry of Land Reform, Resettlement and Housing; Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture and Rural Development; Ministry of Safety, Security, Home Affairs and Immigration Control; Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication; Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Trade, Industry and Labour Affairs; Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources; Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and if indeed important a Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Veterans’ Welfare.

Bottomlines
* THE issue of the EPA agreement with the EU. I’m glad to hear how our Government is handling it with care. I want to hear businesses and trade unions raising their concerns and advice on this. We are aware on how the WTO and IMF were created and are operating. Let us support the ANSA and its implementation. – Richard Gositamang Madi, Gobabis
* NAMIBIA must have the most naive economists of the 21st century. How can Namibia not be in recession if the economy from which we milk the most is in recession? The unavailability of quarterly data means we operate on assumptions. Hence I assume we are on recession. – Shawn Benjamins

General
* CITY of Windhoek, what happened to Ohwa Street, Okuryangava? Decorated with dunes. We cannot even drive out our car. When will they finish the tarred road?
* NAMIBIAN nation watch out! There are crooks advertising on radio saying they are financial companies and have vacancies for anyone with Grade 12. And that you need to register and pay N$300 or N$380. They give you a bank account where you deposit the money and you will never hear from them again. – P Sheya
* ALTHOUGH English is the official language, it is most people’s second language. You probably had a better opportunity to learn the language than the ministers did. So what if they have an accent or if their grammar is incorrect? You still understand them, don’t you? You should exercise tolerance!
* IT’S always interesting to hear Namibians talk as if we get everything including our ideas from South Africa. SA just found out how important a National Planning Commission is. We had one for years. SA divided basic and higher education. We had done that too but found, I guess, it doesn’t work. And Cope was only formed after the RDP. So we have to give our leaders and ourselves credit. – JD Hatutale
* WHY erect ablution facilities along the national roads, while the Donkerhoek park in Katutura doesn’t have such facilities?
* THE advert of the Bank of Namibia informing the public about money laundering should not only be in English, but many others, also in Chinese.

Education
* CITIZEN Nahas on education! Yes I reformed education in accordance with Swapo Party aspirations! Today Namibia is one of the few countries with mass based education! 95 % of age cohort 6-l6 are in school! Schooling by definition is a selecting and sorting system! Only the top quartile will make it to university! What needs to be done is to expand VTC’s and job creation!
* I’M a 2007 BETD graduate and recently (April 2009 graduated at IOL with the ACE course). When I took my certificate for recognition for my salary adjustment I was told that ACE is on hold and it might be that it will not be recognised since it is a certificate course and that I have a diploma already. I would like to hear from IOL what to do next. We are still busy repaying for this unrecognised course and it feels like we are wasting our time and money. Until when is the ACE recognition on so-called hold? – Concerned ACE Graduate.
* FOR Diego. Corporal punishment is unconstitutional and was pronounced as such by our supreme court. Teachers and schools that continue to mete out such punishment do so in flagrant disregard for our law. Report the matter to an authority e.g. principal, school board, Ministry of Education, Ombudsperson till someone listens and you will effect change at your school. Good luck.
* THEO, according to the Education Act, a teacher ‘may not administer corporal or any other degrading punishment on a learner’. Corporal punishment was abolished long ago and is against the law, so get with the times! The child’s family, not the school, is primarily responsible for instilling discipline.

Service Please
* CELL One, open your door at Nkurenkuru we are drying without your network please! My network my choice.

In And From the Regions
* OTJIWARONGO soccer development through Mr Seth Boois got well-deserved assistance from the German consulate. The question is what has happened to the donation, why do the training camps not take place?
* ROAD toilet debate. Imagine driving to your village, all along the road is flushable toilets. Nice! Arriving at your destination you’ll need to dash to the nearest bushes when nature calls or bucket toilets. Excellent! Running water in the rural areas is a dream not come true. Politicians think also where you come from, not just where you are now.
* I AM a concerned resident of Rehoboth and calling upon the Ministry of Health and Social Services to come and do a thorough inspection at the St Mary’s Hospital.
* IN Oshipumbu there was flooding this year (2009) and this is the year of poverty. – Nacky
* WHAT happened to the project to strengthen and widen the Divundu bridge? The tender was awarded towards the end of last year. Roads Authority, please inform Mukwe constituents.

Lost And Found
* CLOETE Gwendoline’s certificate enrolled nurse midwife found. Contact 081-342-3334

Sporting
* GOOD day my Namibian people. The statement on top of the newspaper (sport side) that reads ‘Serious about soccer!’ should rather read ‘Serious about sport!’.
* TO the sports desk: ‘Aussie Rules’, short for Australian Rules Football, is a completely different code to rugby league (World Sport Briefs May 13)!

ACC Alert
* CERTAIN people at Rundu are selling driver’s licences. ACC we need your help. Where can I find your contact number? – The number for the ACC in Windhoek is (061) 370600. – Newsdesk

Labour Issues
* NAPWU the clerks are still waiting for their re-grading. Tell us when is it going to be implemented. – Desperate clerk
* WHAT is so special about Titus Haimbili? What is being done in the case of Chief Regional Officers whose employment is being terminated without the provision of proper exit packages? To date, those Chief Regional Officers whose employment relationship for unknown reasons have been terminated, did not received their exit pension. The inadequate remuneration of CROs, determined at the level of an Under Secretary who is permanently employed, needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency. It is an unfair labour practice to pay inappropriate remuneration to regional officers looking at the employment risk they are taking.