SMSes for Tue 28 Apr 09

* I TRAVELLED from Mururani to Rundu last week and I was surprised and concerned by the number of school kids walking and playing on the road. This poses serious danger to them and other road users. I appeal to parents and teachers to educate the kids on pedestrian/traffic rules and consider a scholar patrol to avoid loss of lives.

* I TRAVELLED from Mururani to Rundu last week and I was surprised and concerned by the number of school kids walking and playing on the road. This poses serious danger to them and other road users. I appeal to parents and teachers to educate the kids on pedestrian/traffic rules and consider a scholar patrol to avoid loss of lives. – Concerned motorist

Food For Thought
* I SUPPORT Bishop (Zephania) Kameeta and the BIG (Basic Income Grant) coalition in principle. There will be many benefits to poor people. But I just worry that the main beneficiaries will be shebeen owners. A sad truth!
* GRN please roll out BIG – basic income grant – to the whole Namibian nation. The costs of BIG will in the long run be much lower than the costs created by a nation living in poverty. – BIG supporter, Windhoek
* A HEALTHY profit for the Swakopmund Municipality! No wonder, we are having sleepless nights worried how we are going to pay our water bills that are skyrocketing! Please lower your water tariffs, they are ridiculously high. My salary is only covering the water bill, now I wonder how pensioners are going to make ends meet, please Swakop municipality hear our plight. – Twaluliwa

Bouquets And Brickbats
* CONGRATS to the organisers of the Wild Cinema International Film Festival. Excellent choices!
* TO the writer of ‘Who the heck do they think they are?’ … it’s all good and well to jump on the bandwagon and voice your dismay. My question is what did you do? I was robbed in full view of an off-duty police officer. I had to practically beg him to assist. His excuse? ‘I thought it was your boyfriend.’ Please educate me on what help me please means and when I’m entitled to use it in the Namibian context. Another police vehicle drove passed and they too didn’t bother. I am truly traumatised by the attitudes of my fellow Namibian citizens and the Namibian police. It is an absolute shame we, as a nation, fought so hard for Independence only to be the cause of our own downfall. – Flabbergasted
* MANY times we take many things for granted especially our teachers. I just want to say thanks to Mr Rusberg for a great term. You are my role model. You rock sir. – Grade 10 Pupil in Bethanie

Election Fever
* WHERE can people register in Walvis Bay for elections? – The media will share the information on issues such as these once we receive it from the Electoral Commission of Namibia. – Newsdesk
* I WOULD like to know if not participating in the elections is a crime, because I’m not motivated to do so – why must I vote if I will benefit nothing?

Enviro Talk
* TROPHY hunting for Namibia is unacceptable. Who benefits from it? Only those coming to kill and those signing the deals. The biggest leopard got killed last year now three endangered rhinos are to be killed because they endangered our lives or are occupying too much land? Wouldn’t these animals attract more tourists to our country over the years worth more than N$4,7 million? Maybe I should ask myself what has the government done for the last 20 years than being bothered by killing these creations that contribute to the economy of this vast and beautiful country. A big shame on you Mr Politician. – Freddy T

Politics
* ANCYL’s achievements are SPYL’s achievements? What a joke? The difference is: ANCYL is prepared ‘to kill for (Jacob) Zuma’ but not for now former President Thabo Mbeki. SPYL is prepared to ‘take Bazookas and machine guns’ to defend former President Sam Nujoma from being criticised or taken to ICC but not to defend President Hifikepunye Pohamba. An internal change (transformation) took place within ANC when Mbeki tried to have Zuma prosecuted after witch-hunting and expelling him. Nujoma also have Hidipo Hamutenya (HH) witch-hunted and hauled before the DBC Presidential Commission of Enquiry. Mbeki lost it and his disgruntled supporters formed an opposition party, COPE. To the contrary, Nujoma got it his way which led to HH and his supporters forming RDP. Presidents Kgalema Motlanthe of SA and Pohamba are peace-makers. So, ANC and Zuma’s victory is a victory for change. Well done, South Africans! – S Eino

Running The Show
* PLEASE Ministry of Safety and Security build more prisons and expand the ones that already exist.

General
* TWO boys are looking for a studio where they can make their songs, anyone who can help can call on this number 081-405-1901. – Music lover
* FOR the benefit of the young generation, can The Namibian publish the photo of a military uniformed Dr Sam Nujoma, then Commander in Chief of Swapo’s military wing Plan holding a baby survivor of the Cassinga massacre on May 4 1978. I want also to find out whether she is still alive and if possible publish her latest photo.
* I AM a foreigner who has been living in Windhoek for over 10 years now. Article 3(1) of Namibia’s Constitution stipulates that the official language is English. I, however, see after almost two decades of Independence, that a lot of streets in Windhoek still bear names like: ‘strasse’ and ‘straat’. If these names are to please German and Afrikaans speaking people or tourists, then we might as well have streets named in Spanish, Portuguese, Shona, Chinyanga, etc to please the countries which helped in Namibia’s liberation struggle. One would have thought the new beautiful MTC street signs would rectify this glaring error but alas no, the Windhoek City Council decided to snooze (sleep) on such opportunity to correct this anomaly like our snoozing dishonourable in Parliament. Please WCC, wake up and do the right thing as advised by the people’s editor, our able sister, Gwen Lister, in her column last Friday.

Health Matters
* WE should not be paranoid about foreign doctors or other such professionals, rather thankful, because without them we would be in serious trouble. Imagine 32 out of 34 hospitals being without anybody in charge! All foreigners should not be seen as our enemies. – Pieter
In And From The Regions
* WHY can the road authority in Caprivi not temporarily rehabilitate the rural roads like the Kalimbeza gravel road as the water has subsided drastically in some areas. People have to walk more than 20 km to the hiking point to get to Katima Mulilo to buy food and for other essential services. To make matters worse since the flood in the Kalimbeza district, the Isize clinic was left with no nurse and the clinic is closed.
* PLEASE I strongly advise the Council and CEO of Otavi to do something about the dirt at the town. At least use the N$100 000 that was donated by Ohorongo Cement Factory. After all it was for the town.
* IT was reported in the New Era of last week that the Mayor of Tsumeb was involved in an accident with the official vehicle of the Council. It was reported that the Mayor of Tsumeb was on his way back from the Swapo birthday party. Are the mayors allowed to use official vehicles for party activities?
* CAN President (Hifikepunye) Pohamba and Hon (Helmut) Angula of the Ministry off Works brief the nation as to how far the Northern Rail Extension project was taken since Comrade Nujoma left it in Ondangwa? It is delaying our businesses cargo transfers to Oshikango. November is no longer around the corner, we here in the mighty northern regions want to see movement in this regard. Very worried though looking forward. – Gwanamutenya
* HELAO Nafidi Town Council, please unblock your sewerage system! The sewage is flowing in front of business premises! Where is the health Inspector? Why is nobody doing anything?
* WE, the residents of Omukondo Village, are very worried. We have a school in our village but it does not have electricity. That school has a computer and Riso machine. The teachers want to teach the learners how to use the computer, but there is no electricity. Ministry of Education must do something.
* THE people of Onathinge-South are suffering, because not even a single water tap is running despite the President’s order to open all the closed taps. Not even one tap is working in the whole of Onathinge. People there are either buying water from those with private taps or using rain water. Cde ya Toivo please use your power to help your comrades.Water is life. – Onathinge-born ex – Plan combatant

Labour Issues
* WHEN are Namibian students who studied in Zimbabwe going to be employed since the Government promised to give us jobs in April. Please respond in this matter.
* SINCE Independence many marriages have broken down mainly among working couples. This is caused by the fact that for most of the time the couples are separated by different duty stations. The more married people stay away from each other for a long time the higher the possibility of marriage breakdown because they both start to have boyfriends and girlfriends, dishonesty comes into play and eventually divorce. The only to way reduce divorce is by placing couples at one duty station or within reach.
* EVERY job demands experience. But where can people get experience if you are not recruiting them to gain more skills and the experience you require. GRN provide voluntary work for the people who want to work voluntarily to get experience! Please.
* WHAT I don’t understand is why the NDF is only recruiting males. Please females let’s stand up and fight for ourselves. This discrimination against women is still in Namibia. I am tired of living in a mess

Education
* NAMCOL Management, I would like to know the criteria that you follow to offer a language. My concern is whether Khoekhoegowab doesn’t meet the criteria to be offered part time, as there is a need for the specific language users to upgrade symbols and also master the language. – Kuti #|Hoxobeb
* HOW hard can it be to pass Grade 10? It’s the easiest grade in all of high school. All you need to do is listen in class! How can you expect to be just handed a job if you can’t even be bothered to work for it?