SMSes of the Day : Thursday

* I WANT to salute the Governor of Hardap Region, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, councillors, management cadres, staff and entire people of Hardap Region for sending out the messages of condolences to the families of both deceased MPs, Kalla Gertze and John Pandeni. Thank you, Honourable Hanse-Himarwa! You are leading by example. You are a motherly figure and a uniting force beyond political beliefs. United in diversity we stand, divided we fall. I salute you Mom.

* WELL done to the Finnish Embassy for recovering its money from Imms (Namaseb). At least it has managed something the ACC has so far failed to do. – Edwin B * AS a white Namibian, it is very sad to read that we are still being blamed for everything that goes wrong in this country by some community leaders. What do these people want, anarchy, racial hatred, a second Kosovo? I find it unacceptable that we whites are still blamed for the system of segregation that was invented by people dead and gone. Most of us are just peace-loving people, who will support any government working for peace, stability and development for all Namibians. One is starting to feel that it is a terrible sin to be white.Food for thought* WHO exactly qualifies as a hero in this autocratic state of Namibia? The heroes of Namibia as an independent state or the Swapo Government ministers alone? I propose renaming the supposed ‘Heroes Acre’ to Swapo Ministerial Acre. – Luciano* HAS the Ministry of Environment and Tourism realised that the uranium mines are in a national park? Is this not a short-term gain at vast environmental expense? And will Namibia really benefit enough? Facts and figures please!* HOW can Nantu cry foul about Grade 10s repeating? Guys you are part of this mess. Together we are united is your slogan. Cut off your affiliation (to Swapo) for us to believe you. You were there when the decision was taken. You are also stakeholders. You want to play an innocent game to fool teachers.* I, AS an ex-combatant and a Cassinga survivor, am traumatised by the Cassinga massacre and the whole situation of the struggle. I strongly feel that I need psychological therapy but I don’t know where and how. I’m depressed and angry whenever Cassinga Day is commemorated, where very little is mentioned about the survivors. Something must be done for the survivors to live a normal life free from fears and nightmares. Any person wishing to help me can contact The Namibian’s editor for my number. – TwahepaThumbs up!* THE Golgotha cemetery looks wonderful. Thumbs up to those responsible for its renovation. My appeal to my fellow Katutura residents is please do not vandalise the cemetery.Kavango grazing* THE issue of grazing land in Kavango is nothing else than tribalism invented by the engineers of divide and rule of Namibia. They know themselves. People should only be given time and the right procedures to register or apply for the occupation of that land. Stop the acts of simply promoting hatred and creating tensions between tribes, especially when the one suffering is the one you hate. What if every tribe in Namibia claims ownership of its land for the sole usage of its tribe? Why can’t we practice tolerance in the Kavango – is it not part of the land we fought for? We know some of our respected leaders are even buying land in Oshikango, using Chinese business people. Pure corruption. And these are the inventors of tribal land conflict. How is land so valuable to you if not to others?* NAMIBIANS are very funny. They want the Government to do something about the farmers who were expelled from the Kavango. If the Government intervenes, the same people would cry foul saying the Government is interfering in the judiciary. Please people, in Namibia we are free to stay anywhere in the country but not illegally.* ONE Namibia, many kingdoms a.k.a homelands! So cattle herders don’t trespass onto foreign homelands.Customer concerns* THANK you to Telecom and I-way for making me one of the many people suffering from absence of Internet access since last Saturday because of the general incompetence of their staff members. No notification of maintenance and no apology to the public. The I-way help desk is a total joke.* WINDHOEK Lager (NBL) is getting free advertising on NBC television by promising to show live English Premier League games, but no games were shown over the weekend. Who’s fooling who?* IF MTC is so confident about their services, why not offer N$10 to N$50 for calls dropped? N$0,20 doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in their system’s reliability!* WHY does Air Namibia’s reservation office not answer their phone or (alternatively) put it down in your ear? They have just lost a client!* NAMFISA, where did you end up with Liberty Friendly Society? What happened to our money? Please, we are still waiting for the results from your office. I want to hear from you.Politics in general* RDP and Swapo let’s also hear you campaigning about tax.* BOTH fallen men (John Pandeni and Kala Gertze) are heroes. Kala Gertze tabled noteworthy motions in Parliament, while John Pandeni did not differentiate between tribes. I remember he drove all the way to Okombahe a year or so ago. Again he was on the road not to his village, but to serve the nation, regardless of the service recipients’ ethnic background. That indeed is heroic!* I THINK it is high time for the Deputy Minister of Health to concentrate on health issues and visit health centres instead of concentrating on political affairs only. She has left the health issues to Minister Richard Kamwi who is doing all his best to help the nation. If she can’t attend to her ministry she must be replaced with someone who is interested in health matters.* JOHN Pandeni was a people’s person and I am sure 70% of Namibian are touch by his death. He was really like many described him and we as youth appreciate his character. He is our hero, but definitely not a national one, and therefore doesn’t deserve to be buried at the Heroes Acre. It seems that all the Swapo MPs and stalwarts will be buried at the national Heroes Acre. Since the Heroes Acre is State funded, why doesn’t the Swapo Party just buy this place from the Government and make theirs. In this way the nation won’t cry foul.From the regions* PEOPLE in the far North: please concentrate more on praying rather than concentrating on politics and killing each other. These floods are coming from God and nobody knows the reason behind this. Forget about the Nujomas, Pohambas and Hamutenyas this Easter season and let God be with you.* IMMS’s (Namaseb) days were numbered already by his dubious dealings with donors in the Ohangwena Region. It was just a matter of time. He should pay back the money so that the projects can be implemented through the Regional Council. To the Finnish embassy, please keep supporting the rural poor and don’t let one man’s selfishness derail your goodwill. Namibia is a country that has laws in place to deal with people like Imms.* WE, the residents of Omuthiya in Oshikoto Region are tired of Phil ya Nangoloh, who is always (allegedly) misleading the nation with wrong information about the situation at our town. We don’t know who has appointed him to be our spokesperson and why he is trying to tarnish the image of our place? Please, leave us in peace!* THE ineffective and inefficient service delivery 18 years after Independence is simply unacceptable, especially in the finance section at Oshana Educational Directorate. How on earth is one supposed to wait for years for a file to be processed? Computerise your system and stop reading retail shops’ adverts while our files rot at your desk! Don’t you have a heart?* OKONGO hospital please stop accommodating male and female patients in the same room (room 5), it’s dangerous.* PEOPLE harvesting mopane worms are required to pay a fee to the traditional authorities, especially in the Ongandjera and Uukwaluudhi areas. Who are the beneficiaries of the income received from these charges? Is this not self-enrichment and promotion of poverty and unemployment among the poor? I want to know if people catching fish in those areas are also charged? Please leave these natural resources for the good use of the poor.Education* IS it fair for some pupils to be allowed to repeat while others are not? All pupils at Ondukuta Combined School in Tsandi Circuit should repeat with no age limit set, because that school had a problem of evil spirits last year. Even the Director and the Ministry of Education knows about it. Please Director do something, if the classrooms are not enough, erect tents so that all pupils can continue their studies. – Ottilie Teofe* A TEACHER who teaches from seven to four will not necessarily be successful. It is all about quality of education and not the quantity of hours taught.* TEACHERS are civil servants and the minimum working hours for all civil servants are eight hours per day. Ministry of Education please let us know if teachers are public servants or not?* I’M a teacher in Onesi circuit and would like to sincerely request the Ministry of Education to provide accommodation for us at rural schools. Do you expect me to sit at school marking, planning or offer extra classes, while I live seven kilometres away from the school? I cover this distance walking. Build houses for teachers close to schools, even two per school then we can share.* WILL you people please give teachers a break? They teach your unruly kids who come to school for your sake to please their parents and not for them to learn. Teachers are not provided with accommodation, they are also teaching learners sitting on old and broken desks and chairs with inadequate textbooks.* I MUST give credit to IOL, as their service has really improved over these last few months. Keep it up IOL, as education is the only way to guarantee a better future.General* IT is true that (Andrew) Ndishishi is an embarrassment to both the Swapo Party and the Government. It is not his first scandal. In 1992 he equally refused his blood to be tested for alleged drunken driving, claiming he had shed enough blood for this country and thus could give no more. He is a danger not only to himself, but to other road users and their properties also.* THE First Lady is a good example to the Deputy Minister of Health. She offers he services free of charge to the entire nation at the Robert Mugabe clinic. Long live the First Lady of the Republic of Namibia.* MINISTER of Finance, please tell us why the tax is so high? I want to cry when I see my payslip.* IT is strange that only four people were interviewed for the position of General Manager Human Resources under the new TransNamib CEO. I want to know what the shortlisting criteria were? Why was the current acting GM not interviewed? How many others qualified but were not shortlisted? Why is it that almost all interview panellists were below the level of GM? How on earth do you interview someone higher than you?* WE all know that the NDF and NamPol are recruiting new intakes this month, but to be honest I want the anti-corruption commission to confirm the qualifications and ages of the new recruits. I am proposing this to ensure that people are not recruited on the basis of nepotism.* NOW that the tender of the road between Okahandja and Karibib has been given to Nexus and NC, a joint venture, I just hope they empower Namibians by employing Polytech engineering students and vocational trainees for their practical training and involve SME companies on a contract basis.* IT is time that workers in the public service stand up for their rights. Napwu does not serve our interest. We are living on one meal and matangalas [tripe] a day. Our kids always show up with red letters from schools because of unpaid fees. How do you expect us to perform under such stressful conditions? We are the pillars of our Government, yet our service is not recognised. What is a five per cent increase after such a long time? Let us wake up and fight for our right and it should be now. The war veterans went to the streets and now they are recognised, maybe that should be our way forward.* MORE than a 200 per cent increase for the war veterans is nothing but an insult to civil servants. I am a diploma graduate working for one of the ministries for three years and my salary is N$3 100 before tax. In simple terms after tax and other basics such as transport and accommodation I am left only with N$1 800.* MANY experienced nurses and doctors are leaving State hospitals. This is as a result of a lack of proper payment. The same could be said about the education sector. The public servants performing the bulk of the work are the lowest paid, while the administrators get the lion’s share. Paperwork is more rewarding than practical work, wow.* WHY is the cost of doing business in Namibia so high in terms of taxes for SMEs. I am a school dropout and registered my business and I came up with a great idea, which I believe could bring about change and benefit the community around me. But what’s keeping me from realising my goal is the capital to start. How do you expect a school dropout to have a business profile and existing business income statements and balance sheets? Please help.* AS a white Namibian, it is very sad to read that we are still being blamed for everything that goes wrong in this country by some community leaders. What do these people want, anarchy, racial hatred, a second Kosovo? I find it unacceptable that we whites are still blamed for the system of segregation that was invented by people dead and gone. Most of us are just peace-loving people, who will support any government working for peace, stability and development for all Namibians. One is starting to feel that it is a terrible sin to be white.Food for thought * WHO exactly qualifies as a hero in this autocratic state of Namibia? The heroes of Namibia as an independent state or the Swapo Government ministers alone? I propose renaming the supposed ‘Heroes Acre’ to Swapo Ministerial Acre. – Luciano * HAS the Ministry of Environment and Tourism realised that the uranium mines are in a national park? Is this not a short-term gain at vast environmental expense? And will Namibia really benefit enough? Facts and figures please! * HOW can Nantu cry foul about Grade 10s repeating? Guys you are part of this mess. Together we are united is your slogan. Cut off your affiliation (to Swapo) for us to believe you. You were there when the decision was taken. You are also stakeholders. You want to play an innocent game to fool teachers.* I, AS an ex-combatant and a Cassinga survivor, am traumatised by the Cassinga massacre and the whole situation of the struggle. I strongly feel that I need psychological therapy but I don’t know where and how. I’m depressed and angry whenever Cassinga Day is commemorated, where very little is mentioned about the survivors. Something must be done for the survivors to live a normal life free from fears and nightmares. Any person wishing to help me can contact The Namibian’s editor for my number. – Twahepa Thumbs up! * THE Golgotha cemetery looks wonderful. Thumbs up to those responsible for its renovation. My appeal to my fellow Katutura residents is please do not vandalise the cemetery.Kavango grazing * THE issue of grazing land in Kavango is nothing else than tribalism invented by the engineers of divide and rule of Namibia. They know themselves. People should only be given time and the right procedures to register or apply for the occupation of that land. Stop the acts of simply promoting hatred and creating tensions between tribes, especially when the one suffering is the one you hate. What if every tribe in Namibia claims ownership of its land for the sole usage of its tribe? Why can’t we practice tolerance in the Kavango – is it not part of the land we fought for? We know some of our respected leaders are even buying land in Oshikango, using Chinese business people. Pure corruption. And these are the inventors of tribal land conflict. How is land so valuable to you if not to others? * NAMIBIANS are very funny. They want the Government to do something about the farmers who were expelled from the Kavango. If the Government intervenes, the same people would cry foul saying the Government is interfering in the judiciary. Please people, in Namibia we are free to stay anywhere in the country but not illegally.* ONE Namibia, many kingdoms a.k.a homelands! So cattle herders don’t trespass onto foreign homelands.Customer concerns * THANK you to Telecom and I-way for making me one of the many people suffering from absence of Internet access since last Saturday because of the general incompetence of their staff members. No notification of maintenance and no apology to the public. The I-way help desk is a total joke.* WINDHOEK Lager (NBL) is getting free advertising on NBC television by promising to show live English Premier League games, but no games were shown over the weekend. Who’s fooling who? * IF MTC is so confident about their services, why not offer N$10 to N$50 for calls dropped? N$0,20 doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in their system’s reliability! * WHY does Air Namibia’s reservation office not answer their phone or (alternatively) put it down in your ear? They have just lost a client! * NAMFISA, where did you end up with Liberty Friendly Society? What happened to our money? Please, we are still waiting for the results from your office. I want to hear from you.Politics in general * RDP and Swapo let’s also hear you campaigning about tax.* BOTH fallen men (John Pandeni and Kala Gertze) are heroes. Kala Gertze tabled noteworthy motions in Parliament, while John Pandeni did not differentiate between tribes. I remember he drove all the way to Okombahe a year or so ago. Again he was on the road not to his village, but to serve the nation, regardless of the service recipients’ ethnic background. That indeed is heroic! * I THINK it is high time for the Deputy Minister of Health to concentrate on health issues and visit health centres instead of concentrating on political affairs only. She has left the health issues to Minister Richard Kamwi who is doing all his best to help the nation. If she can’t attend to her ministry she must be replaced with someone who is interested in health matters.* JOHN Pandeni was a people’s person and I am sure 70% of Namibian are touch by his death. He was really like many described him and we as youth appreciate his character. He is our hero, but definitely not a national one, and therefore doesn’t deserve to be buried at the Heroes Acre. It seems that all the Swapo MPs and stalwarts will be buried at the national Heroes Acre. Since the Heroes Acre is State funded, why doesn’t the Swapo Party just buy this place from the Government and make theirs. In this way the nation won’t cry foul.From the regions * PEOPLE in the far North: please concentrate more on praying rather than concentrating on politics and killing each other. These floods are coming from God and nobody knows the reason behind this. Forget about the Nujomas, Pohambas and Hamutenyas this Easter season and let God be with you.* IMMS’s (Namaseb) days were numbered already by his dubious dealings with donors in the Ohangwena Region. It was just a matter of time. He should pay back the money so that the projects can be implemented through the Regional Council. To the Finnish embassy, please keep supporting the rural poor and don’t let one man’s selfishness derail your goodwill. Namibia is a country that has laws in place to deal with people like Imms.* WE, the residents of Omuthiya in Oshikoto Region are tired of Phil ya Nangoloh, who is always (allegedly) misleading the nation with wrong information about the situation at our town. We don’t know who has appointed him to be our spokesperson and why he is trying to tarnish the image of our place? Please, leave us in peace! * THE ineffective and inefficient service delivery 18 years after Independence is simply unacceptable, especially in the finance section at Oshana Educational Directorate. How on earth is one supposed to wait for years for a file to be processed? Computerise your system and stop reading retail shops’ adverts while our files rot at your desk! Don’t you have a heart? * OKONGO hospital please stop accommodating male and female patients in the same room (room 5), it’s dangerous.* PEOPLE harvesting mopane worms are required to pay a fee to the traditional authorities, especially in the Ongandjera and Uukwaluudhi areas. Who are the beneficiaries of the income received from these charges? Is this not self-enrichment and promotion of poverty and unemployment among the poor? I want to know if people catching fish in those areas are also charged? Please leave these natural resources for the good use of the poor.Education * IS it fair for some pupils to be allowed to repeat while others are not? All pupils at Ondukuta Combined School in Tsandi Circuit should repeat with no age limit set, because that school had a problem of evil spirits last year. Even the Director and the Ministry of Education knows about it. Please Director do something, if the classrooms are not enough, erect tents so that all pupils can continue their studies. – Ottilie Teofe * A TEACHER who teaches from seven to four will not necessarily be successful. It is all about quality of education and not the quantity of hours taught.* TEACHERS are civil servants and the minimum working hours for all civil servants are eight hours per day. Ministry of Education please let us know if teachers are public servants or not? * I’M a teacher in Onesi circuit and would like to sincerely request the Ministry of Education to provide accommodation for us at rural schools. Do you expect me to sit at school marking, planning or offer extra classes, while I live seven kilometres away from the school? I cover this distance walking. Build houses for teachers close to schools, even two per school then we can share.* WILL you people please give teachers a break? They teach your unruly kids who come to school for your sake to please their parents and not for them to learn. Teachers are not provided with accommodation, they are also teaching learners sitting on old and broken desks and chairs with inadequate textbooks.* I MUST give credit to IOL, as their service has really improved over these last few months. Keep it up IOL, as education is the only way to guarantee a better future.General * IT is true that (Andrew) Ndishishi is an embarrassment to both the Swapo Party and the Government. It is not his first scandal. In 1992 he equally refused his blood to be tested for alleged drunken driving, claiming he had shed enough blood for this country and thus could give no more. He is a danger not only to himself, but to other road users and their properties also.* THE First Lady is a good example to the Deputy Minister of Health. She offers he services free of charge to the entire nation at the Robert Mugabe clinic. Long live the First Lady of the Republic of Namibia.* MINISTER of Finance, please tell us why the tax is so high? I want to cry when I see my payslip.* IT is strange that only four people were interviewed for the position of General Manager Human Resources under the new TransNamib CEO. I want to know what the shortlisting criteria were? Why was the current acting GM not interviewed? How many others qualified but were not shortlisted? Why is it that almost all interview panellists were below the level of GM? How on earth do you interview someone higher than you? * WE all know that the NDF and NamPol are recruiting new intakes this month, but to be honest I want the anti-corruption commission to confirm the qualifications and ages of the new recruits. I am proposing this to ensure that people are not recruited on the basis of nepotism.* NOW that the tender of the road between Okahandja and Karibib has been given to Nexus and NC, a joint venture, I just hope they empower Namibians by employing Polytech engineering students and vocational trainees for their practical training and involve SME companies on a contract basis.* IT is time that workers in the public service stand up for their rights. Napwu does not serve our interest. We are living on one meal and matangalas [tripe] a day. Our kids always show up with red letters from schools because of unpaid fees. How do you expect us to perform under such stressful conditions? We are the pillars of our Government, yet our service is not recognised. What is a five per cent increase after such a long time? Let us wake up and fight for our right and it should be now. The war veterans went to the streets and now they are recognised, maybe that should be our way forward.* MORE than a 200 per cent increase for the war veterans is nothing but an insult to civil servants. I am a diploma graduate working for one of the ministries for three years and my salary is N$3 100 before tax. In simple terms after tax and other basics such as transport and accommodation I am left only with N$1 800.* MANY experienced nurses and doctors are leaving State hospitals. This is as a result of a lack of proper payment. The same could be said about the education sector. The public servants performing the bulk of the work are the lowest paid, while the administrators get the lion’s share. Paperwork is more rewarding than practical work, wow.* WHY is the cost of doing business in Namibia so high in terms of taxes for SMEs. I am a school dropout and registered my business and I came up with a great idea, which I believe could bring about change and benefit the community around me. But what’s keeping me from realising my goal is the capital to start. How do you expect a school dropout to have a business profile and existing business income statements and balance sheets? Please help.