SMSes of Tuesday 24 November 2009

* MY son was expelled from a school in Windhoek due to indiscipline. However, the regional school counsellors intervened. Now my son is one of the best learners. I advise parents to seek help if they see that their children’s behaviour is off the track. Thanks to the counsellors for giving my child a second chance, and for the support I received from the school.

Food For Thought* IT is important to know someone when he or she is going through testing moments and all the pretences are cast aside. The upcoming elections have exposed us Namibians to what we truly are. Boasting that we are Christian, democratic, tolerant and honest is hollow. We are the opposite of all these virtues. Very disturbing! Election Fever* IT’S a pity that some people are defensive and criticise such a brave appeal by a patriotic citizen, Tjiurimo, to condemn the violence in Omusati. Whether it is an act of one person or few people in Omusati it is an unwelcome act and should be condemned by every peace-loving Namibian before it spreads to other regions, period!* HOW are we hostel boarders at Andimba Toivo ya Toivo SSS expected to exercise our right to vote in the upcoming elections when we are not allowed to leave the hostel until December 4? Some of us forgot to bring our voting cards with us. We want to vote!Politics* THE demand by Swapo youth league leader Elijah Ngurare for the recall of Dr Kaire Mbuende as Ambassador to the UN is a direct public affront to President [Hifikepunye] Pohamba who appointed Mbuende. The ostensible reason for this renewed demand is an outrageous allegation that Mbuende is responsible for the election results in favour of RDP. Mr Ngurare has from time to time exhibited a twisted logic in his understanding of democracy: the right to choose and secrecy of the ballot. The demand is not new, however. There is a faction within Swapo that never accepted Mbuende’s appointment, since he was dismissed by former President Sam Nujoma under false pretexts. The campaign extended to Hishongwa, Kamati, Kalomoh , Namoloh and Kapofi, accused as hibernators. Ngurare has a choice: to become a leader one day or an outcast. To become an outcast he only needs to persist in doing what he has been doing: engage in the wilful denigration of people’s reputations.* IT has become a habit in Namibian politics to always look for technical excuses before admitting wrongdoings. It is not a sin to simply say sorry for the mistakes made. What is wrong with our politicians?* PRESIDENT Pohamba, you say we should vote for the party that makes a difference. How are we supposed to do that if Swapo does not give other parties a chance to show what they can do.* SHILONGO must decide on behalf of his children not to attend rallies. I wonder if he has. Even if he does, he is not a father to all children. Mine will!- DM* I DON’T know in which discipline Elijah Ngurare is a doctor, because he is busy poisoning and fuelling more hatred in our Government by suggesting that all diplomats, PSs and all managers should all belong to one party. This is exactly why Africa is falling apart. We have suffered enough and you as a doctor are supposed to heal us and not to sow seeds of destruction in our brains.* IT’S a pity that many of our people think this is 1989, where Namibians voted against the illegal occupation of this country by the former colonial regime. This is 2009 and Namibians should vote against corruption, manipulation, empty promises, self-enrichment, unemployment, failed policies. We are not going to vote for political independence at all.BIG Issue* ‘WE need a change of heart, mind, and attitudes and no child shall be hungry anymore. If you give, your gift will return in multiples’. Viva Kameeta.- Zedy* THAT was well said, Bishop Kameeta. I wish Namibia had more true leaders like you. We have heard you well enough. And I believe your Swapo party and its members are reading what you are telling them. God bless the bishop. City Fathers Please …* CAN the municipality please provide us with a taxi rank because lives are at risk, going to and from work and school, especially for those crossing the Otjomuise, Khomasdal and Grysblok rivers. Please we need a taxi rank down here when the time is changed (for winter). From Otjomuise Woermann Brock through 7de Laan to 8ste Laan we lose lives, belongings and our cellphones in those rivers.General* SKI boats on Goreangab dam? Nice! ‘Tor’, but don’t drive so near the shore, we also want to enjoy teaching our kids to fish and you scared the fish away! Be more considerate and be careful, you are going too fast!- Miss T* THE Woman and Child Protection Unit must start mobilisation campaigns revealing the reality of different relationships in daily life where men and women will be allowed to adopt cheat-free relationships just to minimise suicides and similar tragedies and understand one another.- KanghamenieHealth Issues* I WAS born with brittle bones. When I applied for a pension they apparently disqualified my form. Can anyone tell me what kind of work I can do? Please I just don’t understand.* MR [Minister Richard] Kamwi I know you are aware of what happened to overtime for night staff [nurses]. Why can’t we do this next year because that money was also part of this year’s budget. There are still months to go before new budget allocation.Bouquets And BrickbatsA need to look at air safety* WELL done Leon Carstens – at last someone who isn’t afraid to tackle issues of aviation safety head on. Now what is needed is prompt action.- Robin Tyson* B NAMUPEMBE Taxi P 05. Thanks. Keep it up, your car is always clean and smells nice.- Olympia resident * I SUPPORT The Namibian headline of ‘Namibia is highly corrupt’. It is true. We cannot run away from it. We must change and not deny it. I fail to understand what the Director of the ACC is defending. Viva The Namibian.* THANK you The Namibian for the weekly horoscope!- Junias* NBC, why keep on repeating the Oprah show? And the show runs three times a week. Why can’t you show films like ‘Charmed’? And all the other nice films?* CHECKERS in Maerua Mall, thanks for keeping some white bread uncut. Not all like their bread sliced. – Chris, WindhoekIn And From The Regions* ROADS Authority please redraw the white lines on Tsumeb bypass road en route to Oshivelo from Otavi.* I AM appealing to the Government to please upgrade/tar our main roads. Ovitoto, Okondjatu linked to Okahandja to Otjinene to Okakarara, Gobabis to Epukiro, Aminuis, and so on. * WHEN can we of the south see development at our places. Places like Grünau. We are still waiting for a clinic and police station. Please help us.* WE need more shops in Omaruru.Education* THE struggle against Bantu Education was geared to remove rote learning, senseless memorisation and the restoration of our dignity and culture. Today we are passive receivers of knowledge which we do not internalise and create new knowledge. We reject our own languages and opt for Afrikaans. Eros, Pionierspark, Suiderhof, Van Rhyn, Elim, M H Greef, Gammams, Khomasdal, Marti Ahtisaari and many more primary schools only offer English and Afrikaans. What about Namibian African Languages? Not important?* MINISTRY of Education please we urgently need help at schools in the villages in the North. English is very poor. We want our children to learn English from kindergarten. Teachers wake up please. We know Oshiwambo is also important to us Oshiwambo speakers but the teachers must be serious in teaching English as a subject. Our children need to read, speak and pronounce English. Learners you need to open your mind. Nowadays life without education is very difficult.- Concerned mom* WHAT are our rights with IOL? Whose shoulder should we be leaning on? The Ministry of Education or Nantu? Our courses were terminated after completing them successfully and now we are told: ‘there is nothing to be done’! We wrote August exams and received timetables and even got the results but now we are ‘terminated’! Our money had just gone down the drain? IOL is still deducting from our salaries! Government out there please help us.Labour Issues* WE urgently and humbly request our government, especially the Minister of Labour, Honourable [Immanuel] Ngatjizeko, to visit the Namdeb company, to see whether cheap labour still exists or has been buried. We have been working for almost three to five years as fixed-term contractors with no pension. At this point in time we are given another contract for three months. After this one, will be given a fixed-term contract for six months. Dear Mr Ngatjizeko are really serious with all this? Or are you not aware? We have be come slaves and contractors in our own country, while foreigners are working as permanent employees here at Namdeb. We are calling upon the Father of the Nation to hear the cry of his nation.- Concerned employee of Namdeb