SMSes Wed 14 Jan 09

* PRESIDENT Pohamba, I personally have taken you for a fair, transparent and a just person but what is this about a 24 per cent salary increment for public office bearers you have apparently agreed to? I heard the decision was necessitated by the current high inflation rate. Inflation affects all people equally, irrespective of their socio-economic status – it does not only touch the already well-off guys with heavy potbellies who obviously have reasonably enough. How should the masses describe this incident – an unfair Namibian socio-political promotion of the ‘rich getting richer and poor getting poorer’. And Madam Finance Minister if you are involved, please know that all salary earners need increments, OK.

Food For Thought

* MINEWORKERS Union of Namibia should approach the Government with regard to tax on our retrenchment packages. We at Namdeb are having 35% personal tax deducted from our Provident Fund once we go on retirement or voluntary separation. We are left with 65%, which is not enough for ourselves and our families. At least the tax has to be reduced to 20%!
– Franco

* I WONDER about the recruitment process in the NDF. When they advertise positions they say only people with Grade 12 and between the ages of 18 and 25 will be considered. But in the recent intake there are people who failed Grade 10, older than the required age and are not children of war veterans. I now that these people have relatives in the NDF. We want ACC to investigate this matter. People with relevant qualifications are overlooked and are sent to the streets. Please scrutinise the list of the latest recruits.

* NABTA (Namibia Bus and Taxi Association), petrol prices are set to decrease again, when will the taxi fares decrease or increase. – Goliath, Karas Region

Response To Readers’ SMS

* IN response to two SMSes that appeared this week in the newspaper about doctors preferring C-section to normal deliveries and charging high fees for operations: Please check your facts and confirm with medical aid schemes. A big portion of the charges goes to hospitals as fees and doctors get only small fee. Please contact any medical aid, even Psemas will help you.

Bob And RDP Flag

* MINISTER Jerry Ekandjo has set a good example. From now on, every time I notice a mistake made by an employee of his ministry I’ll demand Ekandjo’s resignation.

* MINISTER Ekandjo seems not understand the words incident and mistake. Why is he insisting on the dismissal of Bob Kandetu. Everybody makes mistakes – even Swapo members make mistakes, but are still getting large portions from the national cake.

* A MISTAKE is a mistake and everyone makes errors, even worse than the one Kandetu is now accused of. Please learn to forgive and concentrate on something productive. Leave Kandetu alone, he is a human like all others who make mistakes. Be strong comrade Bob Kandetu.

* KANDETU’S head must roll! How can another political party’s flag be shown when the President delivers a New Year’s speech and we must wait for an investigation?

Politicians’ Salaries

* THEY are telling us to come back home to the Swapo Party – for what? Their are just raising their salaries which is another reason for us to leave the Swapo Party.

* THIS thing of taxing the interest on savings is just a trick to recover the money that will go to the ministers. Is it not enough that our pensions are already taxed. Swapo has lost my vote.
– L.O.G

* LET us get the facts right here! Some RDP senior leaders were ministers and MPs. How many times did they advise the Government to cut or not to increase their salaries when they were in Government? It’s easy to talk when others are benefiting and keep quiet when benefits come your way.

* IF MPs receive that unbelievable 24% salary boom, then soldiers, police and all civil servants must get 48% salary increase!! MPs are living luxury lives already.

* THE President and MPs representing all political parties in Parliament are the ones promoting and encouraging corruption, poverty and insecurity in this country. How can President Pohamba consider the 24% increment on politicians’ salaries without thinking and yet do nothing about it even when there is a loud public outcry?

* I JUST wonder whether my beloved party, Swapo, ever asks for advice before taking decision to hike MP salaries by 24% salary? Mr President we the soldiers the backbone of your country only receive a gross monthly salary of N$2 765,79. We are the one who guard you day and night, think about us, we also deserve better salaries.

Politics In General

* VIVA Mr President for your speech at Ohangwena, but where were the hardliners, because that speech was suited for them.

* PRESIDENT Pohamba is a hypocrite. Last year he condoned and defended violence by Swapo in Omusati and Windhoek. He never apologised to the victims. Now he’s preaching peace and tolerance. Your Excellency, your own speeches strongly contradict your actions and credibility.

* IT is wrong for the southerners to say everything is going to the North while they are starving. There are people who got nothing in the North and if we go by numbers it is possible they might be higher than those in the South. Not everyone is rich in the North. Go to the villages and see how people live.

* I’M simply a sympathiser of Keharanjo Nguvauva’s group, although I’m not a Mbanderu or Herero. I don’t want to discourage them but only to remind them that they are fighting against people who belong in certain circles and the whole nation knows. They are unscrupulous and will go to any extent to enrich themselves. It just shows how much more we have to deal with to rid ourselves of these corrupt leaders in Namibia. We are dealing with wolves in sheepskin, but since it is only the ‘minority group’ that notice and speak our mind, nothing will come of it. Either you should join them just to enjoy a ‘decent’ life like others have done or you should quit. Despite all these hardships you are enduring, I wish you strength my fellow people.

Education

* MR President, be informed that most of the learners enrolled for senior secondary school phase in the North, more especially in Ohangwena Region do not have places in the hostels. Teachers and parents would explain better the impact thereof. Politicians and those who do the national budget do not seem to care much, for they do not prioritise education. Rural areas suffer the most. The future is shaped by these children who have to undergo their education under challenging circumstances, affecting their classroom concentration and thus compromising performance. Agree with me that 35-40 learners per classroom won’t deliver best results. Quality education cannot take place when conditions are not conducive.

* I WENT to the Polytech for an admission test. To my surprise, when they replied, they send me an unsuccessful response on a second choice which I never wrote a test for. What happen to my first choice which I was tested for? Polytech staff, how do you work? If you don’t know the job, leave it to those who know and want to do it properly.

* NAMIBIAN Nursing Council please allow enrolled nurses to further their education through distance with South Africa’s bridging course to get diplomas.

* FORMER Klein Kuppe now known as Ekwafo School at Ongwediva, please paint your buildings. The wall around the school looks like that of a shebeen. Make the environment at the school conducive to education.

* PLEASE Government, make it possible for Grade 10 failures to repeat again.

* UNAM science students we are not happy. It is disappointing when you are about to graduate and you are told that your modules were not enough, whereas you have done all the modules you were supposed to do. Please science faculty officer look into this thing, because sometimes it is not our fault.

From The Regions

* I JUST want to tell the community of Keetmanshoop that they should start appreciating what nurses and doctors are doing for them at their hospital. Stop complaining and start appreciating.

* WE are happy that Omu
thiya was declared a town. But the burning issue now is the [alleged] corruption taking place in shortlisting prospecting candidates to fill vacancies at the Oshikoto Regional Council. In fact only well-known people were invited for interviews for senior positions such as CEO, Manager for Administration and Finance, etc. I have a reason to believe that those posts were designed for them.

* ON December 24 we reported that the streetlights at Silikunga Village in the Kavango Region were on 24 hours. A second attempt was made within the first week of January 2009 but still the lights are on. Those responsible for electricity distribution should have switched off these lights. Whoever pays the bill for these lights should expect a higher bill.

* I AM very concerned about the condition of the gravel road from Ondobe through to Edundja and Oshikango. My question is, are our councillors really there for the people and the development of the infrastructures of this country? This road is no longer in a usable state. Why are the two councillors not looking for assistance or just invite community members to come and work on this road.

General

* INSPECTOR General of the Namibian Police, please do something about salaries of members with tertiary qualifications! How on earth can member with a law diploma and degree be paid the same salary with those with only primary education. Commanders are only recommending girlfriends, friends, relatives and fellow comrades for promotions.

* I HAVE matched two unnoticed friends, the NBC and the Katima Mulilo Town Council. These two friends have something in common every year. Guess what? They both have no money each year. NBC has no money for new programmes and Katima Town Council has no money for the town’s roads.

* WINDHOEK Municipality, please build us a nice swimming pool at Tobias Hainyeko location like the one in Olympia suburb. We are also human and we need recreation facilities.
-Kamati

* NBC in my opinion is absolutely useless. The scheduled broadcasting of Liverpool v Stoke City game was a sham. You are to show RDP flag at the wrong place at the wrong time. Keep on making those silly mistakes and one day we will end up with nobody in NBC offices.

* I STOPPED counting how many times NBC failed to broadcast live English Premier League games. Namibia Breweries you are sponsoring this live transmission, I suggest you better investigate what the hell is going on, as this is tarnishing your image too.