SMSes of Friday 20 November 2009

* POLITICS seems to defeat all logic. Even a party that keeps scoring zero votes has the audacity to proclaim that it is geared to unseat the ruling party. It is sad that such parties will still have staunch supporters who comprehend such illusions as sweet music to their ears. Is politics a game just like soccer or rugby?
– Joe Sasa

Food For Thought* WHY not assemble the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, at the Ramatex factory? Modify the plant and create exports and employment. How about that (Trade Minister) Dr (Hage) Geingob? * WHAT happened to the promised land? What happened to the land of milk and honey, to the banana plantations in the desert? No! That was not a collective dream, but an individual dream. For you to realise a collective reality, you must all have that same individual dream!- KovicBouquets And Brickbats* SOME people are just good workhorses … take a tip from Sven Thieme. Job well done on WCCR. * WELL, well done. The Chinese government is to fund the Omuthiya multimillion-dollar hospital. That is good. As a Namibian I feel that we should say thank you but this doesn’t mean because of this help we must let them do as they please. We must make them follow our rules and regulations. Remember, investing in our country without following our rules strictly and (allegedly) giving kickbacks will make the next generations bear our mistakes.* NORMAN Tjombe’s article of November 17 epitomises ‘the state of the nation’! * CONGRATS Norman Tjombe. Your topic on ‘Chiefs and Cleaners’ was very well put. Now it’s up to our leaders to try and convince me why I should vote for them to stay in power. Am sure I am not the only Namibian that feels this way. * I SALUTE Norman Tjombe on his article : Chiefs and Cleaners. Our leaders have just lost it. No morals at all and they don’t show remorse for their actions. May God deal with them appropriately, it’s really so unfair.- JS
And Justice For All* GET caught with dagga – 20 years. Steal a goat – 15 years. Kill a man – 4 years. Understanding the Namibian justice system – priceless!Election Fever* NAMIBIANS welcome all election observers. To minimise suspicion please next time be here when election materials are dispatched to the regions and abroad. Your presence has at least reduced my temperature by one degree. * I WANT to pose this question to the ECN and to our Head of State. Why are we holding this year’s presidential and National Assembly elections at the end of the month? The majority of people have been paid and there is more risk of mob violence due to alcohol abuse on the day. The ECN or President must think in future of holding any elections in the middle of the month to avoid any after-party violence that may occur. I’m sure when these month-end election results are made known the towns will be dirty with beer bottles and lots of people will be arrested for drunk driving and other alcohol-related violence as many people have money to spend that weekend. If we are serious in crime prevention strategies then the politicians must start thinking wisely as the Police and Traffic Officers are already overstretched with month-end crime. Elections could have been held on different dates to minimise crime.- ED * CAN the ECN please explain whether it is true that polling officials will sleep at the polling stations for three days without providing them with food, proper sleeping facilities and washing and ablution facilities? Politics* WHY doesn’t the Government just admit to all the wrongs and just say sorry and try not to let it happen again. You will be surprised what wonders the word ‘sorry’ can bring.- Rudy * PLEASE leave Dr (Abisai) Shejavali alone because during the colonial days he fearlessly challenged the colonial government, but now with Swapo in power he must keep quiet. Even his calling has been questioned. And he has even been ridiculed by Swapo supporters for expressing himself loudly against injustice and corruption. Typical of a Government that doesn’t want to be corrected and to admit that it has failed the people.
Transparency International* AS a frequent visitor to Namibia over the past 30 years I’m saddened to see the voter-supported slide of the Swapo Government to a Mugabe-style corrupt government. Wake up Namibian voters before it is too late! * WEDNESDAY’S headline: ‘Namibia highly corrupt’. Tell me something I don’t know. * I AM disappointed with front-page article: ‘Namibia highly corrupt’. It is a very negative opinion for the outside world!- Marietjie Pottas* CONGRATS to Transparency International for revealing that Namibia is an endemically corrupt country. But it’s not Namibia that is corrupt, it’s the ruling party that’s corrupt. It’s an accepted truism that absolute power corrupts absolutely and it’s patent that to the degree that Swapo’s absolute power has increased since independence the country has become increasingly corrupt. Think about this – when you vote! Education* WE parents at Uukwanapembe in Omusati Region want the Government to urgently look at establishing a kindergarten at Omandi Primary School.* MINISTRY of Education Grade 10 or Form 3 of 1990 don’t have certificates but school reports? What should a person do? In And From The Regions* WE need water, a clinic and MTC’s network at Okeeholongo, Omusati Region. * WE urgently and humbly request The Namibian to visit our village and interview the residents with regard to development in Tses. * CENORED at Grootfontein is overcharging customers. If you buy electricity for N$100, you only get 63 units but at Nored, for the same amount, you will get 97 units. * CAN The Namibian please interview the Grootfontein Town Council or management on why they are blocking investors?* WHY is the S & T money of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Otjozondjupa finished in November when there are still five months to go (before the new budget allocation)?* WATERMELONS produced in Hardap are sold for at least N$45 a piece on the street. Retailers add even more. This product clearly is overpriced and farmers and their colleagues know this. If not, please tell us how much it cost to produce it. How can we lead healthy lives under such conditions? Power From The Sun* FNB backs out of solar funding, November 18. I thought the guarantee scheme was meant to benefit the rural electrification programme attempts. Look out for the bank’s approval list of FNB, I hope they publish it for scrutiny. Disappointed with Renewable Energy Initiatives!* FNB backs out of solar funding, The Namibian, November 11. We the solar technicians are worried and confused about how FNB claims to have experienced problems with suppliers and applicants. Technicians complained right from the start. Why were there differences from the normal credit checks? Why should clients wait for four months? No wonder people go for cheap Chinese products. Yanna, investigation anticipated please.
City Fathers Please …* PLEASE Greenwell Matongo is not a new location, but there are still no toilets, electricity.* WESBANK Transport please talk to your drivers. We are tired of your truck (number supplied). It’s always moving in Okahandja location at night, picking up ladies and making too much noise.- Okahandja resident Domestic Violence* GIRLS please let’s stop receiving their money if we are not interested in them forever. And boys, if a girl uses up your things, go to her family and demand your property rather than killing. Oh our parents are crying because of our ignorance! Girls and boys, killing is not a solution.- Awala Fenni * PLEASE WAD or Women and Child Abuse Centre must start campaigning countrywide to teach the women, and men as well, about the danger of cheating and pretending to be in love. It happened to me and I nearly killed the mother of my kids because she was cheating and at the same time pretending that she was still in love. Just imagine someone you love and paid for her education, and you still support, cheating on you with her colleague? * IGNORANCE is killing us. I can’t believe what is currently happening in our country with boyfriends killing or abusing their girlfriends.General* I DO not support animal cruelty, but people with pets, please keep them in your yards if you love them otherwise they will continue to suffer. Some of us do not have pets but have to clean dog pooh in front of our houses every day. – Tired.* CAN someone help Mr Salina of Ondangwa with the difference between the word opposition and enemy please?
* The Oxford English dictionary definition of ‘opposition’ is: the principal parliamentary party opposed to that in office. ‘Enemy’ is: a person who is actively opposed to or hostile to someone or something. – NewsdeskNBC* LET all candidates take part in a live debate on TV, with questions asked by a neutral person, in order for us to chose the right person. I am undecided.- NBC licence payer * NOW that the electoral observers are arriving in Namibia, the NBC is giving a little coverage to some opposition parties. What a double standard! House To Let* I REALLY don’t care what happens to State House when the President moves to the new La-La Land palace. They can turn it into a fishpond for all I care, as long as they stop closing the frigging road!* BANK staff are probably the most overworked. Please bosses employ more people to ease the burden on your staff and to improve service delivery. You make enough money out of us to pay more people. We are tired of waiting in long queues and spending most of our time in the banks.* MTC’s ‘Coverage Map’ shows that there is 3G coverage in Oshikango, I live there Oshikango is probably just 6 to 7 km in diameter. There is no 3G coverage.* FRUIT and Veg City please reopen your outlet at Trade Centre. Your store is too crowded and it makes the shopping experience very unpleasant even to a point where one rather leaves and gives up on healthy eating.- Esme* ACC, please bring service close to the people by educating us on how you work, how to contact you in various regions, and we also need to know whether contacting you is free because not everyone that gets to witness or knows something about corruption can afford a call.* WHAT poor service! Please FNB Oshakati, people are longing for fast service. They are queuing for hours with only one out of eight counters open. * I purchased the 3G option from Telecom. The speed of the transmission is very low, and never lives up to Telecom’s promise. Either they get their act together, and get more speed into their systems, or I will have to cancel the deal. I had to sign a 24-month contract, but if Telecom cannot provide the service as agreed, I should have an option to cancel.* PLEASE Nedbank, we want a branch at Gobabis.* STANDARD Bank please we need cellphone banking. We appreciate your good service but cellphone banking is what’s missing.* BANK Windhoek why is the use of the ATM at Hosea Kutako International Airport limited to VISA and Bank Windhoek card holders only? Can the Bank of Namibia intervene please. It is inconveniencing arriving passengers. Thank you.Service Please* TELECOM Namibia. Service please ! Does it make sense to offer a service number that can only be called from a landline? If that line is faulty, no chance to call by cell as the service number is not reachable by cell!Labour Issues* Did any Government or NCCI leaders read Governor Tom Alweendo’s annual address on ‘the need for a paradigm shift’ on job creation and economic growth? What really struck me was what he said about ‘a severe deficit of skills’ in Namibia and that ‘the skills deficit seems to be on the increase.’ We need to swallow our pride, admit that we need help now and ensure as many deserving expatriates as possible get work permits. The current chicken and egg situation of ‘no job – no permit and no permit – no job’ will result in economic failure. Leaders, you need a paradigm shift now! What do you say?Sporting* I WAS watching the recent Bafana Bafana matches and was disappointed in the way they are playing. There is no one who can carry the ball in the midfield. Everyone is trying to get rid of the ball too easily. I was a proud supporter. Now it’s like watching an untrained schoolboys’ game.* PLEASE get a tactician to take our rugby team to the World Cup. We need to avoid the embarrassment of the previous World Cup.* PLEASE Pirates management where is Mr ‘Cool under pressure’ Ivan Namaseb? We want to know whether he is still a Pirates player?* I AM a supporter of Eleven Arrows and I want a membership card and a T-shirt of the club. Anyone who knows where I can find this can SMS or call me on: 081-343-5951 please.ACC Alert* CAN the ACC please go and investigate the (allegedly) corrupt practices at Windhoek Central Prison concerning S & T claims.Lost And Found* I’VE lost my green parrot (ringneck) in Swakopmund. He responds to the name Tweety-Twee and has a black ring around the neck. If found please call 081-281-1980 or 081-283-7399. * MARIA Asheela has lost her ID and election card. If found please call 081-450-3807.* LUCAS David Erkana lost his ID, Bob card, Unam student card and Tango PUK. Please contact 081-355-1411. * I FOUND all the documents for Nhinda Slyvi Nelao, a student at the Polytech. Will anyone who knows her ask her to contact me on 081-377-4520. Response from One Africa TV* ONE Africa Television is a commercial, free-to-air television station. We do not have access to television licence fees that Namibians pay and receive no Government subsidies. In our expansion programme we have erected transmitters in the biggest sectors first. Within three years, 28 transmitters have been erected and we hope to put up a transmitter in Arandis within the next 18 months. This depends obviously on the support of advertisers which is our only source of income. I wish to thank you for your SMS, it is encouraging to see how many Namibians want to watch our exciting TV station.Tania FrankleGeneral ManagerOne Africa Television