SMSes of the Day : Thursday

* WHEN will we ever learn from others’ mistakes? Sadly I am shocked to read about our leaders using hate speech when addressing the nation, if I am to believe what was reported in this newspaper about statements made by Minister Jerry Ekandjo at the Eenhana rally. To accuse the whites and Boers of killing so many black people that our population is small as a result flies in the face of written history. Yes there is no denying that the German colonial forces did commit genocide against the Herero people, but we all know that the scarcity of water in Namibia is what kept the population figures down prior to the arrival of the Germans and the Boers. Go back to school, Minister Ekandjo. We cannot even feed two million let alone 50 or 20 million. To use this kind of hate speech has no place in our society. At this rate we are in danger of going the same route as Kenya if we are not careful. If our leadership is taken to task (by the courts) for hate speech do not be surprised.

* I AM happy about the progress made in the ODC stolen millions. At least we will know who the real thief is. I am praying for these thieves to be exposed no matter who they are, no matter what political party or status they have. Food for thought* PRESIDENT Pohamba, impose a zebra or quota system from all 12 plus one regions for a representative parliamentary democracy, a legitimate and genuine Namibian state and nation. But take the best Cabinet ministers, who can deliver irrespective of race or tribe, from the Kunene through to the Kavango to the Zambezi rivers, from the Oshana plains through the Oshikoto lake to the Khomas and Karas mountains, from the Namib through to the Kalahari desert, to end this bias and blasé!* WHEN will the management in the Ministry of Health realise that the staff shortage (in health facilities) is caused by low salaries. Katutura hospital casualty department recently lost experienced registered nurses to private hospitals. Who will stay for a salary of N$7 664 a month, while you can earn N$17 825.25 at a private hospital with enough staff? Nurses in State hospitals are overworked, underpaid and understaffed.* I AM sick of people talking about a white population and a black population. What happened to one nation? Namibia is for everyone, not just whites or blacks! We must stand together as one nation. And please people, racism doesn’t just come from whites, black people also discriminate against whites. One Namibia, one nation and respect one another.* TRULY speaking Namibians are getting mature in politics. Just like a Swapo member who was assisted by RDP guys out of mud, I collapsed one day, wearing an RDP T-shirt. To my surprise, a Swapo activist in Omusati approached me and took me to the hospital. He even paid for me and phoned my relatives. Thanks Namibian people.Politics in general* JERRY Ekandjo is a disgrace in any civilised society and Swapo should be ashamed of having him as a spokesman, especially since he is a minister representing the Government. If President Pohamba does not publicly reprimand him for his blatantly inciting racist remarks then he is not serious about the Government trying to promote a non-racial and democratic society and if they are not careful we could end up like Kenya. – P Mostert* HOW can a Minister be so racist? If we white people call our fellow black Namibians baboons or say they are stupid, there would be a big commotion, now what about us white Namibians?* I DO not belong to any political party and I don’t support anybody whatsoever but I hate the way Swapo is intimidating the RDP and its members. What will happen at election time, another Kenya perhaps?* I HATE politics because it is foolish and keeps people divided. I wish (Bob) Marley and (Peter) Tosh were still alive to visit Africa and unite African people.* HI, I’m a supporter of the RDP and I’m very disappointed by the behaviour of Swapo supporters. Just look what happened at Ongwediva to Martha Shikalakuti. We found her wall vandalised by Swapo supporters. Please Swapo leaders talk to your supporters before it is too late. – Okongo YeenguluJobs in the South* LONG live President Pohamba. You made me proud by addressing the fact that the people of the South are treated as strangers in their own region. I hope the leadership took this homework seriously.* PRESIDENT Pohamba must not pretend about discrimination against people in the Karas Region. The Swapo Party Government oversaw this injustice for many years. Jobs are dominated by Oshiwambo-speaking people. The Mayor and the CEO (Keetmanshoop Municipality) are Oshiwambo speaking, the list goes on. You don’t find this in the North. The elections are near and the President cannot score cheap political points. Enough is enough!* IT is too late for the two presidents to do investigations on the people of the South. You are looking for votes in the South but forget about a two-thirds of majority in 2009! * PRESIDENT Pohamba must not pretend. Look at Namibia’s ambassadors, Permanent Secretaries and Home Affairs officials at all border posts, including those in Karas. Where are the residents of the South? Perhaps Swapo has that answer.* THE President’s claim of a lack of employment for the inhabitants of Karas region is a pure strategic campaign of Swapo in Government uniform. Why the call only now?* SOUTHERNERS will always be the losers. The farmers at Gibeon in the Karas Region recently suffered considerable livestock losses to rain, but not a single official of the Prime Minister’s office visited the regions, although it was reported and broadly made known in the media. But look, when the North is flooded the whole attention of the Government is focusing on the four Os. Why the difference?Education* WHILE welcoming the call that all Grade 10 failures be allowed back in formal school, I have some reservations. Many schools in the North started to admit these learners. The problem is we are not provided with any directive that could guide us on how to handle the whole situation. For example we are finding learners that failed in 2006, who are also coming back to register. We also have classes that are already full and we lack resources such as chairs, desks and textbooks. This problem of shortage of resources is an old one in most schools in the North. Can the ministry come out and respond and give us an academic direction as to how we should handle the whole situation? – Concerned teacher* THE inspector of the Ohangwena Region, please visit Elao Primary School in Oshikango circuit. My daughter is in Grade 3 now but this child can’t read or write, but she got As and Bs recorded on her report. Please help, the future of our kids is at stake. I have removed my kid from this school already, but she is learning the hard way now. Other schools don’t even want to admit pupils from that school. Please bring in dedicated teachers.From the regions* I’M pleased to read that the village secretary of Berseba admitted in front of President Pohamba the existence of informal settlements, which he denied in December, and the use of the unhygienic bucket system for which the residents are charged N$18 per month like those on serviced land. Is the ministry aware that unserviced land is on sale and that people will be moved to the said land due to the construction of a road?* CAN someone from the Ministry of the Health please explain to those old ladies who call themselves nurses employed at Mariental State Hospital that they should attend to people with stab wounds and not Police officers. It has become a habit that sick people or pregnant women are told by nurses to phone the Police because the ambulance at Mariental doesn’t collect sick or pregnant people or people with stab wounds from home. I really need an explanation regarding this matter.* THE management of the Walvis Bay Hospital is selfish and full of favouritism. The management consists of old people of the same race and promotions go to people who have only three to four years to go before retirement. Those in senior positions are the ones promoted not based on qualification but on favouritism. They s
elect themselves to attend all workshops but forget that in three years’ time they have to retire with all that knowledge. My problem is that the hospital has young talented people with qualifications and a vision but they are not considered. What will happen after three to four years when the current breed of senior nurses retire? Please consider the leaders of tomorrow by giving them a chance now. New director please look into this issue or else we will send a petition to the Minister of Health to intervene.* I WANT the ACC to investigate corruption at the Ohangwena education directorate. I was one of the teachers, who attended the Entrepreneurship workshop at OTRC in January. We were supposed to be paid N$4 700 each but so far we only received N$400 – even those of us who had private transport and accommodation. We are fed up with the rich getting richer when that money is rightfully ours. We want to know when we will receive the rest of our money.* I ALSO want to comment on the Friday SMS, which touched on the issue of expensive fish in Namibia. I am a resident of Luederitz, where fish production takes place. But fish is still expensive. There are two companies producing fish, but only one has a fish shop. Minister, please do something, we want to eat our fruit in Namibia.* WHEN will the Government construct a bridge on the Oshikango road? It is now a long time that pupils have had to cross oshanas to reach the school.* HOW can a bar be called Vision 2030? You won’t believe it, but there is a bar with this name at Tsumeb. I wonder how the Tsumeb Council could approve and grant a licence to this bar. Why should we have a development plan called Vision 2030 if we can give the name to bars?General* IT is good news to the public to hear that ODC, Avid and NDF monies are being investigated.* I AM calling on Minister Kamwi or the family of the snakebitten baby to go back to the media and tell the nation the truth. This is irritating. The family came to the hospital (allegedly) three hours after the baby was bitten. What can one expect? Please come out and apologise to nurses.* CAN the Government strictly control doctors who work part time for the State and own private practices to give attention to State patients as agreed every day, because the Katutura hospital is full, especially the referrals from other regions. They are lying too long waiting for specialists. Please look into this matter seriously, as some private doctors are earning money from the State for nothing.* NAPWU please do something about our salaries. Everything is going up except our salaries. We are losing faith and hope in the unions.* NAPWU and Nantu how could you be so shortsighted as to sign a five per cent salary increment three years in advance? One does not need to be an economist to see how irrelevant this is in today’s world of high inflation. I wonder whose interest you represent.* HONOURABLE Minister of Finance, I had an understanding that if the financial year ends, the budget for the following year would have been discussed in the Parliament beforehand and ready for implementation on March 1. Why is the Parliament unable to do that? Now the budget is going to be implemented in June or July and by December or January we are usually told that the budget is exhausted. Is the country going bankrupt?* NAMIBIA had no State House until now, and no state can do without such a facility. It is a shame that some see it as a waste of resources, but mainly because they dislike the architect of the project. This presents an opportunity for the media and opposition to show they are not biased by educating their people on this matter. This facility does not belong to Swapo and the founding President will never occupy it.* THANKS Misa for condemning The Caprivi Vision newspaper for publishing the (Mishake) Muyongo message. We support you, we need peace in our peaceful country.* CAN the City Police not do something with the taxis at Woermann Brock Katutura? There is an accident waiting to happen.Food for thought * PRESIDENT Pohamba, impose a zebra or quota system from all 12 plus one regions for a representative parliamentary democracy, a legitimate and genuine Namibian state and nation. But take the best Cabinet ministers, who can deliver irrespective of race or tribe, from the Kunene through to the Kavango to the Zambezi rivers, from the Oshana plains through the Oshikoto lake to the Khomas and Karas mountains, from the Namib through to the Kalahari desert, to end this bias and blasé! * WHEN will the management in the Ministry of Health realise that the staff shortage (in health facilities) is caused by low salaries. Katutura hospital casualty department recently lost experienced registered nurses to private hospitals. Who will stay for a salary of N$7 664 a month, while you can earn N$17 825.25 at a private hospital with enough staff? Nurses in State hospitals are overworked, underpaid and understaffed.* I AM sick of people talking about a white population and a black population. What happened to one nation? Namibia is for everyone, not just whites or blacks! We must stand together as one nation. And please people, racism doesn’t just come from whites, black people also discriminate against whites. One Namibia, one nation and respect one another.* TRULY speaking Namibians are getting mature in politics. Just like a Swapo member who was assisted by RDP guys out of mud, I collapsed one day, wearing an RDP T-shirt. To my surprise, a Swapo activist in Omusati approached me and took me to the hospital. He even paid for me and phoned my relatives. Thanks Namibian people.Politics in general * JERRY Ekandjo is a disgrace in any civilised society and Swapo should be ashamed of having him as a spokesman, especially since he is a minister representing the Government. If President Pohamba does not publicly reprimand him for his blatantly inciting racist remarks then he is not serious about the Government trying to promote a non-racial and democratic society and if they are not careful we could end up like Kenya. – P Mostert * HOW can a Minister be so racist? If we white people call our fellow black Namibians baboons or say they are stupid, there would be a big commotion, now what about us white Namibians? * I DO not belong to any political party and I don’t support anybody whatsoever but I hate the way Swapo is intimidating the RDP and its members. What will happen at election time, another Kenya perhaps? * I HATE politics because it is foolish and keeps people divided. I wish (Bob) Marley and (Peter) Tosh were still alive to visit Africa and unite African people.* HI, I’m a supporter of the RDP and I’m very disappointed by the behaviour of Swapo supporters. Just look what happened at Ongwediva to Martha Shikalakuti. We found her wall vandalised by Swapo supporters. Please Swapo leaders talk to your supporters before it is too late. – Okongo Yeengulu Jobs in the South * LONG live President Pohamba. You made me proud by addressing the fact that the people of the South are treated as strangers in their own region. I hope the leadership took this homework seriously.* PRESIDENT Pohamba must not pretend about discrimination against people in the Karas Region. The Swapo Party Government oversaw this injustice for many years. Jobs are dominated by Oshiwambo-speaking people. The Mayor and the CEO (Keetmanshoop Municipality) are Oshiwambo speaking, the list goes on. You don’t find this in the North. The elections are near and the President cannot score cheap political points. Enough is enough! * IT is too late for the two presidents to do investigations on the people of the South. You are looking for votes in the South but forget about a two-thirds of majority in 2009! * PRESIDENT Pohamba must not pretend. Look at Namibia’s ambassadors, Permanent Secretaries and Home Affairs officials at all border posts, including those in Karas. Where are the residents of the South? Perhaps Swapo has that answer.* THE President’s claim of a lack of employment for the inhabitants of Karas region is a pure strategic campaign of Swapo in Government uniform. Why the call only now? * SOUTHERNERS will alw
ays be the losers. The farmers at Gibeon in the Karas Region recently suffered considerable livestock losses to rain, but not a single official of the Prime Minister’s office visited the regions, although it was reported and broadly made known in the media. But look, when the North is flooded the whole attention of the Government is focusing on the four Os. Why the difference? Education * WHILE welcoming the call that all Grade 10 failures be allowed back in formal school, I have some reservations. Many schools in the North started to admit these learners. The problem is we are not provided with any directive that could guide us on how to handle the whole situation. For example we are finding learners that failed in 2006, who are also coming back to register. We also have classes that are already full and we lack resources such as chairs, desks and textbooks. This problem of shortage of resources is an old one in most schools in the North. Can the ministry come out and respond and give us an academic direction as to how we should handle the whole situation? – Concerned teacher * THE inspector of the Ohangwena Region, please visit Elao Primary School in Oshikango circuit. My daughter is in Grade 3 now but this child can’t read or write, but she got As and Bs recorded on her report. Please help, the future of our kids is at stake. I have removed my kid from this school already, but she is learning the hard way now. Other schools don’t even want to admit pupils from that school. Please bring in dedicated teachers.From the regions * I’M pleased to read that the village secretary of Berseba admitted in front of President Pohamba the existence of informal settlements, which he denied in December, and the use of the unhygienic bucket system for which the residents are charged N$18 per month like those on serviced land. Is the ministry aware that unserviced land is on sale and that people will be moved to the said land due to the construction of a road? * CAN someone from the Ministry of the Health please explain to those old ladies who call themselves nurses employed at Mariental State Hospital that they should attend to people with stab wounds and not Police officers. It has become a habit that sick people or pregnant women are told by nurses to phone the Police because the ambulance at Mariental doesn’t collect sick or pregnant people or people with stab wounds from home. I really need an explanation regarding this matter.* THE management of the Walvis Bay Hospital is selfish and full of favouritism. The management consists of old people of the same race and promotions go to people who have only three to four years to go before retirement. Those in senior positions are the ones promoted not based on qualification but on favouritism. They select themselves to attend all workshops but forget that in three years’ time they have to retire with all that knowledge. My problem is that the hospital has young talented people with qualifications and a vision but they are not considered. What will happen after three to four years when the current breed of senior nurses retire? Please consider the leaders of tomorrow by giving them a chance now. New director please look into this issue or else we will send a petition to the Minister of Health to intervene.* I WANT the ACC to investigate corruption at the Ohangwena education directorate. I was one of the teachers, who attended the Entrepreneurship workshop at OTRC in January. We were supposed to be paid N$4 700 each but so far we only received N$400 – even those of us who had private transport and accommodation. We are fed up with the rich getting richer when that money is rightfully ours. We want to know when we will receive the rest of our money.* I ALSO want to comment on the Friday SMS, which touched on the issue of expensive fish in Namibia. I am a resident of Luederitz, where fish production takes place. But fish is still expensive. There are two companies producing fish, but only one has a fish shop. Minister, please do something, we want to eat our fruit in Namibia.* WHEN will the Government construct a bridge on the Oshikango road? It is now a long time that pupils have had to cross oshanas to reach the school.* HOW can a bar be called Vision 2030? You won’t believe it, but there is a bar with this name at Tsumeb. I wonder how the Tsumeb Council could approve and grant a licence to this bar. Why should we have a development plan called Vision 2030 if we can give the name to bars? General * IT is good news to the public to hear that ODC, Avid and NDF monies are being investigated.* I AM calling on Minister Kamwi or the family of the snakebitten baby to go back to the media and tell the nation the truth. This is irritating. The family came to the hospital (allegedly) three hours after the baby was bitten. What can one expect? Please come out and apologise to nurses.* CAN the Government strictly control doctors who work part time for the State and own private practices to give attention to State patients as agreed every day, because the Katutura hospital is full, especially the referrals from other regions. They are lying too long waiting for specialists. Please look into this matter seriously, as some private doctors are earning money from the State for nothing.* NAPWU please do something about our salaries. Everything is going up except our salaries. We are losing faith and hope in the unions.* NAPWU and Nantu how could you be so shortsighted as to sign a five per cent salary increment three years in advance? One does not need to be an economist to see how irrelevant this is in today’s world of high inflation. I wonder whose interest you represent.* HONOURABLE Minister of Finance, I had an understanding that if the financial year ends, the budget for the following year would have been discussed in the Parliament beforehand and ready for implementation on March 1. Why is the Parliament unable to do that? Now the budget is going to be implemented in June or July and by December or January we are usually told that the budget is exhausted. Is the country going bankrupt? * NAMIBIA had no State House until now, and no state can do without such a facility. It is a shame that some see it as a waste of resources, but mainly because they dislike the architect of the project. This presents an opportunity for the media and opposition to show they are not biased by educating their people on this matter. This facility does not belong to Swapo and the founding President will never occupy it.* THANKS Misa for condemning The Caprivi Vision newspaper for publishing the (Mishake) Muyongo message. We support you, we need peace in our peaceful country.* CAN the City Police not do something with the taxis at Woermann Brock Katutura? There is an accident waiting to happen.