THE RELEVANCE OF BLACK ECONOMIC
EMPOWERMENT (BEE) TO THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY
AND LAW IN NAMIBIA
-
IS IT AN IMPERATIVE?
MIHE GAOMAB II
Windhoek, Namibia
26th May 2010
Mihe Gaomab II is the Secretary and CEO of the Namibia Competition Commission.
He is the Founding President of the Namibia Economic Society and remains an
honorary member. This Article was adapted from a NES speech presented at a
Seminar on BEE in South Africa organized by DELTACON, a BEE Auditing and
Verification Company on the 4th November 20009.
Madam Moderator and Facilitator
Distinguished Panelists
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning and allow me from the onset to thank NES for making it possible
for me to present to you a contemporary yet crucial topic which is the Black
Economic Empowerment in Namibia. This presentation of this topic is pioneering
in the sense that I have been requested to present the relevance of BEE from a
Competition Policy and Law perspective.
Competition Policy and Law in Namibia
As you are aware, at independence, Namibia realized that it faces developmental
challenges based on an economy which was dualistic with high unemployment
and an economic structure which is enclaved and concentrated around few
sectors. The developmental challenges which are to reduce poverty, create
employment, reduce inequalities across individuals and regions thereby ensuring
balanced economic growth became a prime driver of focus for our government.
This developmental objectives have been addressed at varying levels to a large
extent by our government but government further realize that to ensure that this
developmental policy objectives are addressed, it needs reorientation or rather a
transformation of the economy. These are clearly espoused in the development
plans and Vision 2030. Hence the need also to create a regulatory environment
that would cater for private sector development. But more importantly an
institutional process that would assist for in ensuring a market based outcomes
that optimizes efficient allocation of our resources be it in form of capital and
labour. Such outcomes were already focused on private sector to expand its
manufacturing base through the development of white paper on industrial policy
in 1992, EPZ Act of 1995, Foreign Investment Act 1990, Manufacturing Incentives,
and host of other measures.
There were other policies done for other sectors as well is indeed commendable
on the part of our government. These include the promotion of SMEs through
enacting SME Policy in 1996, promoting employment through enactment of 2007
Labour Act, and looking after a broader based of us Namibians by drafting the
Transformation Economic and Social Framework (TESEF), especially those of us
that were historically lessened or deprived due to skewed policies of that time.
Now empirical data and experience points to the fact that by creating a
competitive economy especially among business or the private sector, a country
is able to develop faster, withstand external shocks, and even assist in rates of per
capita growth through employment and investment promotion. There are
documented facts that in countries such as Peru, Australia and South Africa, who
started off well with competition authorities in the 1990s, the impact assessments
shows that by having a competition law and policy as well as entrenched
competition culture, despite costs encountered, the economic benefits are
enormous with welfare implications for consumers, wage incomes and
employment creation leading to overall economic growth and government
revenue.
The question that still needs a lot of advocacy on is what is competition policy and
law. Competition Policy refers to a set of government measures that details the
strategic direction of the Ministry of Trade and Industry to regulate the
competitive behaviour of firms and business in the country. The government put
in place competition policy as far as the late 1990s to assist in reorientation and
re-structuring of the economy, with the ultimate aim to reorient our economy
towards higher growth as envisioned in Vision 2030.
The policy is thus a integral part of the overall macroeconomy of which our
Commissioners have been entrusted to use as a policy that is supportive and is
cross appealing across aspects such as trade measures, industrial, investment,
finance, planning, poverty reduction, employment, growth, and welfare
considerations.
Regulation of competition issues was introduced in 2003 through the Competition
Act of 2003 (Act No. 2 of 2003) in the country. In the past, competition issues in
Namibia were regulated by the Regulation of Monopolistic Conditions
Amendment Act, 1958 (Act 14 of 1958). However, this was a South African Act,
which was not applied in Namibia after independence.
The main overarching objective for the implementation of the Competition Law as
a competition policy instrument is to enhance the promotion and safeguarding of
competition. The urgency of having a competition policy and law rests
fundamentally on three key issues.
Firstly, Namibia’s economic competitiveness still needs a lot of work on as it is
consistently ranked not among the top five of countries which are Botswana,
Tunisia, South Africa, Mauritius, and Egypt.
Secondly, although Namibia’s competitiveness is characterise as a lower middle-
income country with an average per capita income of above US$3,000 and its
macroeconomic fundamentals are sound and proper, the Namibian economy is
characterised by a large, non-tradable sector (government services), and an
export oriented primary sector, mainly fisheries, agriculture and mining. Namibia
is also a small open economy heavily relying on imports, which are sometimes
subjected to distorted pricing, dumping of undesirable and defective products
and anti competitive behaviour.
The economy therefore remains enclaved and is structurally biased in terms of
service and production towards satisfying external markets rather than
domestically. Currently, there are no meaningful transformation with albeit lack
of forward and backward linkages between key sectors, an important
precondition for any restructuring from a micro economic point of view of
sectoral transformation and development. Here the need for a competition policy
becomes more urgent to regulate by law the competitive behaviour of industry,
firms and business in terms of ensuring a just, orderly, safe and optimal
competitive process in the economy.
Lastly, there is also general recognition by our government that economically
there has been instances of market failures i.e. private sector sometimes not
doing what it ought to do in terms of proper and orderly competitive conduct in
market place. There is anecdotal evidence that a market economy with a thriving
and robust private sector can be the key to economic growth and development.
This situation can hold long term sustainable increases in consumer welfare.
However, it is proven empirically that markets can fail because of anti-
competitive practices. Hence the need for developing competition policy that
creates a just orderly conduct of the market place allowing for a fair production
process through an efficient competitive process that benefits the customers and
the economy as a whole.
It also proven that an effective competition law and policy will encourage the use
of the most efficient methods of production, and will guide resources to the uses
society values most highly and can give rise to continuing incentives for
innovation to increase productivity and general efficiency of markets through
improved transparency of the rules that apply to business transactions.
The Namibian Competition Commission has been established in terms of the
Competition Act (Act No. 2 of 2003). It is tasked with promoting competitive
market conditions through investigation and prosecution of anti-competitive
activities, reviewing and approving mergers and exemption applications, and
disseminating information to businesses, consumers and other stakeholders.
Namibia’s competition law not only covers the three major competition concerns
of anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance, and anti-competitive
mergers, but it also takes into account the public interests provisions on
protecting consumers by safeguarding competitive prices and product choices as
well as promoting employment, investment and advancing the social and
economic welfare of Namibians. It also has special requirements of its economy,
which are the protection and promotion of small undertakings as well as
promoting a greater spread of ownership of historically advantaged persons.
The essence of decisions that NaCC is empowered to make is therefore analyzed,
investigated and adjudicated upon taking into account that there needs to a BEE
component to ensure localization and involvement of Namibians. This particularly
applies to Merger approvals of some odd 60 000 odd businesses in the country.
The Commission is cognizant however that at the time of writing, the
empowerment emphasis was on the word ownership. But we all know that the
word BEE should amply read BBEE to encompass broadness broad based. The
Competition Act of 2003 has been therefore futuristic to include the essence of
broadness by indicating the promotion of a greater spread of ownership of
historically advantaged persons.
We are considerate that TESEF will aim to ensure that all relevant definitions and
analytical interpretations will assist from a legal and policy point of view to clearly
articulate such terms and words from a BBEE implementation point of view, of
course using the SWAPO Manifesto, NDPs and Vision 2030 as guiding documents.
The reasons are that there is a lot of debate on the concept of Broad based BEE
within the context of the development of Southern Africa, notably in South Africa,
Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There are increasingly a lot of controversy and
confusion regarding the term and the definition, nature, form, implementation
and conduct BBEEE has today, Namibia needs to avoid this by implementing our
Presidents call for having a well targeted BEE policy and law in the country that
aims to empower most Namibians (never mind the word Black) within the
mainstream in Namibia.
Madam Moderator
Is BEE an Imperative in Namibia, lets rather firstly look at the historical context
of BEE developments. The origin, imperative and the need for having a BEE policy
in place within Southern Africa can only be predicated on the basis that an
economy can only flourish if it can meet the needs of all its economic citizens,
people and their enterprises in a sustainable and developmental manner. Such
predicaments are evidenced in Benhabib, Jess and Mark M Speigel in “The Role of
Human Capital in Economic Development: Evidence from Aggregate Cross Country
Data,”, Journal of Monetary Economics, 1994, 34, 143-173.
The conclusions of this scientific research are broad ranging in the sense that
human and economic development can only be possible if the systems be it
economic, social, legal or political builds on the full potential of all persons and
communities across the length and breadth of a country.
The colonial historical context of the countries in Southern Africa in particular
South Africa and Namibia witnessed a period of protracted economic
development which even though created a necessary capital infrastructure which
is commendably in place today created a human capital that is largely unskilled,
uninformed and restricted from meaningful participation in the economy. The
historical context of appreciating human capital towards economic and
development shows however that where, human capital was suppressed or
alienated from the economic developmental process, it had a profound effect on
the standard of living of its people and status of developing an economy.
This is clearly proven empirically in Nathan Nunn (2007) where the effect of
human capital suppression and its long term associated effect on Africa’s
development are well researched in “Slavery, Institutional Development, and Long
Run Economic Growth in Africa”. The evidence suggests that slave trade as a form
of human capital suppression had an adverse negative effect on economic
development in Africa. Of relevance will be to consult the Bertocchi, Graziella and
Fabio Canova (2002) titled “Did Colonialism Matter for Growth in Africa” where it
empirically explore the historical causes of Africa’s development due to
Colonialism. European Economic Review, XLVI. Pages 1851 – 1871.
In Southern Africa, the assets, skills, positions and opportunities of millions of
people were directly and indirectly restricted either through some sociopolitical/
economic policy. Such a process created a capital accumulation process
where it confined the creation of wealth to a minority population and constricted
underdevelopment and poverty on the majority of the population. In South Africa
and Namibia for example, the result is an enclaved and skewed economic
structure that today, in essence, still excludes the vast majority of its inhabitants.
Imperative for BEE in Southern Africa
Madam Moderator
The basic vision of an economy that meets the needs of the people in a more
equitable manner goes back to the ANC’s Freedom Charter of 1955 in South Africa
and the Swapo’s Manifestos in the 1960’s of Namibia. Since the political
transformation in 1990 of Namibia and 1994 of South Africa, the respective
economies have undergone rapid consistent economic growth, albeit for the East
Asia Financial Crisis 1998/09 and the Global Economic and Financial Crisis in
2008/09.
Generally, these countries had profound macroeconomic stabilisation which has
provided largely a platform for a sustained economic growth rates. Compared to
pre 1990’s, both economies has become increasingly integrated into regional
(SADC and SACU) as well as global markets (EU, US, BRICS, East Asia, MECOSUR)
and both countries became a successful exporter of base metals and minerals
(Gold, Uranium, Diamonds etc) and for instance in case of South Africa,
manufactured goods and value-added services have proliferated.
Because of that sustained economic growth, in terms of GDP and GDP per capita,
Namibia is increasingly been viewed as a upper middle income country and South
Africa is now able to position itself as an emerging manufacturing economy.
Further, both economies have consistently put in place appropriate broad
economic strategies to transform the economies.
In Namibia, National Development Plan I, II, and III which serves as a five year
plans for economic development with an explicit target of around 7% on average
according to the long term plan Vision 2030 was continuously emphasised. In
South Africa, the Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994) and GEAR
(1998) has been the focus of a broad strategies along with others such as the
Microeconomic Reform Strategy, Integrated Manufacturing Strategy and the
National Research and Development Strategy that has underpinned the South
African miracle of economic growth of close to around 5%, a visible improvement
taking into account negative growth it encountered in the 1980’s.
Despite the sustained economic growth successes and a host of developmental
plans, policies and strategy introduced and implemented, there is another
statistical picture that paints a grim reality of entrenched income inequalities
characterising both economies. Once could argue that this pervasive inequality
act as a deterrent to future economic growth, economic development,
employment creation and poverty eradication.
There is no denying the fact that there is still evidence of vast racial and gender
inequalities in the distribution of and access to wealth, income, skills and
employment. The end result is that these unequal income hinders economic
development and we all black and white alike loses out because our economies
continues to perform below its long run economic potential thus robbing us of
future growth dividends for our next generation and for ensuring a sustainable
growth path that we can be proud of as South Africans and Namibians.
This grim picture of the South African and Namibian situation shows further that
the economy has not re-oriented or transforms to cater for an absorption of the
population towards a majority segment. These could be because the economic
structures of both countries are still fundamentally rigid in the sense that it
neither has nor fundamentally transformed itself from the historical years of
skewedness in terms of resource endowment, entitlement, capital, positions and
access.
The virtual economic exclusion of ensuring the inclusion of the majority of the
population means that the economy is not growing on a broad based basis and
that any growth is only as a result of the hitherto structurally enclaved sectors
(mainly in agriculture, mining, fishing and to a lesser extent manufacturing) that
are not link on a backward and forward basis, to the rest of the economy to cater
for or absorb the economic potential of the population. Such an enclaved growth
further explains the susceptibility of the South African and Namibian economies
to the global and regional forces as evident from the recent global economic and
financial crisis as well as the economic effects of climate change.
Madam Moderator
Once could argue that the current turmoil of economic crisis in Namibia and
South Africa are over but still it does not bring comfort to justify that we need to
attain and sustain high levels of economic growth than what we have currently.
These high levels of economic growth unfortunately cannot be realized without
the presence of broad based participation of the majority of its population.
In order to grow and develop the South African and Namibian economy, there is a
need to empower on a broad and shared basis by encouraging through
appropriate mechanisms the economic and social re-engineering of wealth and
opportunities to the majority of the population.
Developments of BEE in South Africa and Namibia
The Black Economic Empowerment is and continues to be an unfolding process
happening in Namibia and South Africa. Despite its controversy, BEE seem to have
taken root in South Africa where a comprehensive and focussed strategy has been
drafted and consulted upon with stakeholders ironing out the economic analytics
of the day on BEE in 2004. The essence of that strategy rested on policy statement
and policy instruments that the government will consistently and predictably use
including the formalisation of partnerships and ‘charters’ with the private sector;
the use of a ‘balanced scorecard’ approach to gauging success; and an Act that
allows for the formalisation of guidelines and codes and the establishment of an
Advisory Council. In addition the introduction of an exclusive BEE fund as a
financial support measure were also introduced and aligned with the BEE strategy
developed in 2004.
At the current moment, BEE Policy in Namibia in the form of TESEF, the
“Transformation Economic and Social Framework” has been developed, and
consulted with stakeholders in 2008. This has been submitted to the Prime
Minister’s Office. TESEF in a sense learns from best practice employed by South
Africa and includes the formalization of partnerships and ‘charters’ with the
private sector; the use of a ‘balanced scorecard’ approach to gauging success.
From the experiences of South Africa and Namibia for example, the strategic
policy thrust of BEE are centered around six key pillars: (a) direct ownership,
management, control of enterprises and productive assets (b), SME enterprise
development (c) human resource and skill development, (d) achieving employment
equity, (e) preferential procurement or balanced tendering, (f) and corporate
social investment in social related programmes and community development
initiatives.
Controversy surrounding BEE?
There is no need to go into each of these pillars as you all are familiar with it and
are Masters of Trade when it comes to the development and selling of BEE as a
viable instrument. However as you are all aware, there are controversies
surrounding the concept, nature and implementation of BEE.
In terms of the concept, the word Black Economic Empowerment (or Swart
Ekonomiese Bemagtiging) is in essence just what the words encompass but it
seem to be termed divisive and ascribed to a zero sum game. This means that BEE
is been viewed as a means of an economic empowerment of those people
previously disadvantaged at the expense of the previously advantaged. Hence the
definition of "black" that refers from a policy perspective to the previously
disadvantaged communities and individuals that were subjected mostly to
exclusion in the historical past are increasingly been seen as the “Swart Gevaar”.
The sensitivity of “Wat gebeur met die Wittes as Swartes bemagtig word” seem to
be the stereotype surrounding the word “Black” and what it means to economic
empowerment for the benefit of all South Africans and Namibians alike. I am here
to inform you that there is no need to despair, provided we follow certain
principles that I will outline further below.
The nature of BEE is also increasingly questioned. BEE is viewed as a front for
“Black Elite Enrichment”. There are notable worthy names that got rich through
the process of implementing BEE as legislation in South Africa and de facto in
Namibia. When those names are mentioned, there are negative sentiments
expressed that they are neo-whites or that they are a Black Skin in White Wool
and that they enriches themselves and are becoming billionares whereas the rest
of the country is still in a poverty trap. Unfortunately, there is an increased
realization that BEE can only take root if there is a Championing process on a
Black Empowerment process. It is unfortunately the first phase of a successful BEE
transformation. Take the example of WEE or “White Economic Empowerment” as
it were. WEE can be termed a success ceteris paribus if ascribed to capital
accumulation, assets, positions, skills of whites in South Africa and Namibia. The
essence of entrenching White Economic Empowerment or WEE with due respect
was quite self evident and its importance of capital accumulation and creation of
necessary infrastructure in South Africa and Namibia cannot at all be viewed as
“throwing the baby away with bathwater”.
South Africa and Namibia are having the best infrastructure in Southern Africa
(roads, rail, ports, power, etc) and seemed to integrate with ease regionally and
globally upon the era of political transformation in 1990 and 1994 respectively.
One can even argue that the current maintenance culture of such infrastructure
can be termed an “apartheid dividend” in terms of capital accumulation. I just
wish that such an “apartheid dividend” could have been applicable in terms of
human resource accumulation across the Board of ensuring that more people
come onboard within the economy. This would have created a broader scope of
opening up doors for white and black empowerment processes that involves
“Human Economic Empowerment” or HEE. This could further had economic spinoffs
of job creation, rural development, urban renewal, poverty alleviation,
specific measures to empower both white and black, women and the disabled,
skills and management development, education, meaningful ownership, and
access to finance for households and for the purpose of conducting proper
business.
But all is not in vain. A current reality show that is where we are moving albeit
pain stakingly. Whites and Blacks are realizing that together we aim to implement
BEE but divided we aim to fail BEE. This standing together is compromised
however by how we are implementing BEE. Whites on the one hand are accused
of “fronting” or “black renting” the BEE process whereas Blacks or the Black Elites
are accused of “quick bucks investment” syndrome or “fly by nite” companies. But
all of us seem to realize that BEE in its current form is unsustainable. Although the
championing process that I support seem to have its narrow based impact, all
Whites and Blacks are realizing that BEE in its current form should be a transitory
process and that in order for it to be credible and have a desired broader impact
in terms of economic development it needs to transform into a Broad Based Black
Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).
The question that is now on everybody's mindset is. Have we failed as economic
agents the concept of BEE? Does the latest development inform us that we are
not well equipped to get this vital process off the ground? Are we as two nations
now saying let’s give up on the idea and start to look at alternatives of
empowering our people?
The above leads me to enter a dangerous terrain that of “psycholising” BEE. We
all know that we still a need a process to empower people and I mean more
people. Hence the concept BEE is as highly relevant as it was 10 years ago. We
just need to realize that just like any economy goes into stages of development,
BEE has come to a point where its relevance has actually undergone
metamorphosis or transformation.
The transformation to the word “Black” is “Human”. BEE in its transformative
form is not it that it aims to separate Whites from Blacks but in my view it is been
used just to ensure identity of purpose, that is to empower those left out during
the apartheid and colonial times. It should not also be used to set-off blacks
against whites but for a common economic good for us all.
Madam Moderator
In my view economic empowerment is about developing mechanisms, pathways
and people so that access to the main stream of the economy is a real possibility.
It involves a win-win situation for both blacks and whites and should not be
treated as a traditional zero sum game. By that I meant that there should be
recognition of the dual need not only to encourage and nurture the participation
of black persons or the previously disadvantaged in the economy, but should also
be accommodative enough of allowing economic room for white or the originally
advantaged to together work under some economic code of conduct and social
contract to expand the economic cake of our economies. This can only be realized
if a synergy is created that will retain the experience, expertise and knowledge of
the white person but also to augment those traits in the black person.
These economic codes of conduct should be underpinned by economic structures
that should be created to ensure broad based economic empowerment. One
notable deal of BBBEE in Namibia was the Old Mutual group that has signed a BEE
deal worth N$308 million (R308 million) with a broad-based group on behalf of its
own operation, as well as Nedbank Namibia and Mutual & Federal Namibia. The
transaction includes employees, strategic business partners, distributors, trade
union members and their families, women's organisations and church groups.
Others in Mining and Telecoms Industries launched a BEE procurement policy.
This was done without any legislation backing it, but out of the need identified by
the company to drive empowerment within the country. The Tender Board Act is
recently reviewed to look into preferential treatment of locals and small business.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry is busy on a strategic approach to reserve
certain petty retailing and transport avenues for locals. There are other measures
which for brevity sake I won’t mentioned here but which points to the fact that
there is growing realisation of BEE inspired efforts to ensure local ownership and
involvement on part of government and private sector sectors alike.
Is BEE Still Relevant in Modern Times?
The implementation process of the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment
(BBBEE) remains however not without its faults. There are proponents that argue
that the nature and the participation of those involved make it narrower in
disguise.
BBEEE should never be seen as a short term gain but as a medium to long-term
process that will only work if sound corporate governance, business and
economic principles are followed. Artificial means on both White and Black to hi
jack the noble goal of broad empowerment can be beneficial for the parties
involved in terms of capital and human resource gain in the short term but I can
guarantee you that it would be detrimental in the medium to long term for any
economy that desperately needs higher levels of sustained local economic growth
and development. It is important to look for long lasting solutions on BBBEE
rather than ones of a quick fix nature.
The role of mentorship and skills transfer cannot be overemphasized in the path
to broad based empowerment. Many companies afford these tremendous
opportunities to young, newly qualified black managers. The value of experience,
coaching, mentoring and hands-on tactics should not be discounted. It is
noteworthy that certain international companies in South Africa and Namibia
have also engaged in models of in-house mentorship and incubation of fledgling
black entrepreneurs in their field. This model ensures long-term sustainability
through strong management and entrepreneurial spirit being built. Special
emphasis must also be placed on training, upgrading and real participation in
ownership to de-lock the mind on “easy gains” but to engage consistently in a
“Road Less Travelled”.
The source of broad based BEE for the majority of Namibians and South Africans
will not be found for the future in the formal private and public sectors. There
seem to be limits on their growth potential given the current regional and global
constraints. There is need to shift the mindset in Namibia and South Africa of
innovating and creating ideas within the Small and Medium Enterprises sector to
make it grow as it is the only sector that is responsive to advancing technologies
in the knowledge service orientation, corporate social investment oriented
avenues, renewable energy to tackle climate change and home grown or creation
of indigenous products such as arts, crafts, health products, agro processed
products.
These alternative economic activities which are entrepreneurial such as the SME’s
must be fostered with finding an expansive domestic and export markets as it is
the only enterprise development in the SME sector which can have multiplier
effects and gauged by many to be the most significant future contributor to job
creation and economic growth in the country. SME’s role is still under emphasised
in Namibia and to a lesser extent in South Africa but it is the only sector in
Southern Africa which is cross cutting across sectors such as mining, tourism,
leisure, manufacturing, etc and can assist in absorbing a majority of the excluded
population into the economic sphere of Namibia
But for such a sector to take off, there is a need to develop better mechanisms of
ensured access to finance, entrepreneurial skills, values, talent and culture and
Government and Private Sector must put heads together and spark the liveliness
of this sector for it to take off properly.
To achieve a credible and effective BEE in Namibia and South Africa which is
broad based and does address the “real” empowerment of those to be
empowered, it is crucial to structure BEE in our economies. BEE needs to be
implemented within a framework where a consistency of approach, appropriate
flexibility to respond to different economic and enterprise conditions and the
ability to measure the progress on BEE implementation has to be fostered.
In terms of a consistency of approach, it is crucial that when ownership is
transferred to black ownership, that there needs to be innovative ways of
financing the empowerment deals that will support effective BEE transactions.
The companies that want to transact BEE with its empowered partner needs to
realize that they must first employ best practice finance models for BEE
transactions?
BEE ownership transfer deals does not entail “one-size-fits-all” approach but
needs to be done taking a consistent approach in terms of best practice
implementation. The various types of finance mechanisms that are available to
successfully achieve sustainable empowerment shareholding which includes
Government funding, Share schemes, Grants and incentives; Debt finance, Project
finance, Joint ventures, and Venture capital need to consider on the nature and
type of a BEE deal taking into account what kind of players are involved as well.
Of all this type of finance mechanisms, South African experience and to a lesser
extent in Namibia the consideration of debt finance seem to be the most logical
and attractive options which is easily implemented in terms of BEE deals. It
involves a process whereby the empowerment partners because of their inability
to have ready capital available to transact the BEE, incurs a loan structured in
such a way to repay such a loan or debt from cash flows generated by the
company. Such an approach involves a process where massive wealth is
transferred to the empowerment partners leading to a possibility of black
fronting, and transfer of assets without real value addition.
When other broad BEE players are brought on board to make it look broad based
such as Women and Trade Unions and regional or provincial players, such
approach does not necessarily solve the problem of black fronting and seem to be
broad in disguise and does not really lead to real empowerment but again to
those who have the transaction right to the BEE deal. The debt financed BEE
transaction deals which are currently still been considered is not in my view a
sustainable empowerment mechanism as it invokes the moral hazard problem as
it sounds more like sharing in “money on a silver platter without any
contribution”. Further, the partners are trapped in deals that take up to 20 years
to realize dividends, if at all. The debt finance deals are also supplemented by sole
vendor financing (the white BEE partner) and issue of share options and grants to
its black empowerment partner. Through this approach, debt is then raised
against the shares the BEE partner possess in the company and hence the deal is
more structured at arm’s length basis whereby the BEE partner is passively
involved in the growth, value addition and profitability of the company.
Increasingly, experiences with BEE transactions are showing that empowerment
partners need to at least bring some capital to ensure BEE transactions to work
effectively. Hence, various new options are considered that BEE partners in
Namibia and South Africa can take advantage of. One attractive option is equity
financing where a BEE partner needs to find actively an investor as partner to
start its business, normally a SME. There are two main potential categories that
can make equity financing successful which also bring in an element of broad
based economic empowerment. These are (a) venture capitalist or risk-loving
equity funding companies, (b) or engaging employee, women and/or trade union
investors. The real value addition of these broad based options is to ensure that
these partners are entitled to contribute in some sort towards the empowerment
process. It does not always have to be money but can be also goodwill and
commitment. Women Associations for example can be made mandatory as a
empowerment partner to train a number of woman in finance skills per annum
whereas trade unions will be required to contribute to work ethic, efficiency and
productivity of a company through shared performance assessment and
performance policy towards increased profitability of all.
Another innovative option involves debt financing raised against its assets and not
shares as it is traditionally used to be. Given that BEE partners do not have
sufficient assets to transact BEE, white BEE partner can sell assets to its BEE black
partner which in turn borrows money from the bank against those assets to pay
for them. This model called also the leveraging model represents a robust
sustainable long term (usually 10 to 20 years) process where moral hazard
problems are avoided and where both the financier (bank), vendor (white BEE
partner) and empowerment partner share in the risk and the growth and
development of the company. This kind of models I am to learn are proven to be
more attractive in South Africa as success models among SME’s and where large
companies such as Anglo American and Ingwe, an empowerment partner has
financed it successfully.
With regard to appropriate flexibility to respond to different economic and
enterprise conditions, BEE companies need to realize that they are confronted by
changing domestic, regional and global economic, political and social factors that
can impinge on the success of their enterprise and hence be mindful of those
developments. BEE companies need to successfully build an affirmative
procurement policy to create a sustainable empowerment initiative in their
company. Concerns such as whether your company is BEE compliant, or sourcing
its goods and supplies from BEE suppliers adhering to proper ethical guidelines
are matters that requires immediate attention if the BEE partners wants to make
success of its business.
Madam Moderator
Another issue concerns whether the BEE Company applies effective employment
equity plan, policies and programmes that promotes efficient human resource
development and growth in their entity and is aligned to the affirmative action act
of the country? Here the success to Broad Base BEE is Skills, Skills and …more
Skills. BEE Companies need to be conscious of treating skills development as the
foundation of real broad base BEE. BEE companies need to continuously answer
questions such as is there an accelerated skills development and training
initiatives that further enhance the company of BEE goals. Has the BEE company
master the appropriate techniques to effectively build a social investment and
enterprise development policy for its stakeholders are also another matter that
BEE enterprises must take into account to respond adequately to any socially
developmental activity such as an HIV/Aids prevention and invest wisely for
health retention of its own staff for example.
In conclusion, experience so far on BEE Structuring shows that the current debt
financing of BEE transactions is not successful and BEE companies are under
renewed pressure to actively transact their BEE deals through private equity
capital. Such is the urgency of executing BEE transactions that the traditional
private equity industry has virtually been turned into a BEE financing industry in
South Africa for example and Namibia is actually following that example. This type
of financing represents a most noble approach towards structuring BEE in
Namibia and South Africa and needs to be encouraged especially as funding
mechanism for the emerging and fast growing SMEs.
To end on a positive note, Broad based BEE is a must taking into account similar
success in Malaysia to address this skewed perpetuating socio-economic situation
in the 1960’s. In Malaysia, a concerted policy called “Bumaputra Malays” to
address the indigenisation of Malays from the expatriate Chinese was also
implemented to ensure development of the economic infrastructure in which the
Malays find themselves in to ensure increased opportunities in terms of positions,
assets and income.
Are our Educational Institutions simply ripping us off?
Charlotte writes to Consumer Protection group:
Are our Educational Institutions simply ripping us off?? Is the Price of Education a Realistic reflection of what we get for money? Are universities (and private institutes) in Namibia in it for the education or the money?
Tertiary Education Academy
Are our Educational Institutions simply ripping us off?? Is the Price of Education a Realistic reflection of what we get for money? Are universities (and private institutes) in Namibia in it for the education or the money?
Private Institutions of Learning
Our constitution states:
(4) All persons shall have the right, at their own expense, to establish and to maintain private schools, or colleges or other institutions of tertiary education:
provided that:
(a) such schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education are registered with a Government department in accordance with any law authorising and regulating such registration;
(b) the standards maintained by such schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education are not inferior to the standards maintained in comparable schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education funded by the State;
Tertiary education schools are mushrooming all over the country. They provide everything from art classes, computer literacy and business skills. The problem is the standards are not very good, and most students receive a qualification which is not worth the paper it is printed on. Let us look at a typical example and call it the Tertiary Education Academy
The owner TEA is a businessman without any qualification in education, after all, the Academy is a business and was started to make a profit. None of the staff members, including the Principal, has any professional training or recognised educational qualification. The lecturers at the Academy are also not qualified teachers.
TEA offers the following courses:
· Typing skills
· Bookkeeping
· Computer Literacy – Microsoft Office
· PC Engineering – A+ and N+
· Software Programming
The Academy also offers Diplomas in Tourism, Public Relations, Business, Finance and Personnel Administration.
The Academy is a very profitable business and they owner is planning on offering further diploma courses.
Great! However, most of the students (and their parents) are not aware that the lecturers are not professionally qualified. Furthermore, imagine the students’ dismay when they find out that none of these courses are recognised by the Namibian Qualifications Authority. Even worse, the diploma courses are not worth more than a Grade 12 according to the Universities.
Now before we start closing all these schools, institutes and academies, let us examine their role in our country.
More and more students are completing their schooling and not finding place at the University or Polytechnic. Their parents or care-givers cannot afford the study fees in other countries, so these students have to look for employment. Having no marketable skill, they often do not find employment and become one of the unemployed.
The private tertiary education institutes offer the students an opportunity to gather knowledge about business and prepare them for gainful employment.
So what can we do?
We need to have a body that actively encourages that “the standards maintained by such schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education are not inferior to the standards maintained in comparable schools, colleges or institutions of tertiary education funded by the State”. The NQA must be publicise the names of those that are registered and meet their standards. Furthermore, the NQA must be given teeth to close down those who do not meet the standards set within a period of time.
Note: Mr. Louw is the founder of the Namibia Consumer Protection Group but answers these submissions in his personal capacity. Mr. Louw has been a trainer at IIT (Institute of Information Technology belonging to Lodewyk van Graan) and the Secretary for the ICT Alliance of Namibia for a period of three years. Mr. Louw is presently a part-time lecturer at the Polytechnic of Namibia.
Note: Mr. Louw is the founder of the Namibia Consumer Protection Group but answers these submissions in his personal capacity. Mr. Louw has been a trainer at IIT (Institute of Information Technology belonging to Lodewyk van Graan) and the Secretary for the ICT Alliance of Namibia for a period of three years. Mr. Louw is presently a part-time lecturer at the Polytechnic of Namibia.
Lodewyk van Graan responds to Open Letter
Dear Milton
Thank you kindly for your response. Congratulations on your new found success, and what seems to be a positive future. You still however need to settle the past.
You are once again misrepresenting the facts for your own benefit. I’ll leave it at that and not go into the specifics. Should anyone at any time require us to provide proof of anything you did we shall be happy to do so.
I have no clout with legal shield and believe them quite capable of making decisions about who they emply on their own. Their decision might have been influenced by other factors such as the 2 court judgements against you for, shall we say questionable business practices.
Our organisation and the IPPR still want these resolved but even after numerous attempts from us and the IPPR to discuss this with you, you have always managed to avoid us and the messenger of the court finding you.
I am very surprised to hear from you and very happy. Please be so kind as to provide me with your physical address and more detail of the fixed assets you refer to so that we can settle the legal wrangling that you have with both the IPPR and our organisation.
Regards
Lodewyk van Graan
(Note: Mr. Lodewyk van Graan is the chairperson of the ICT Alliance of Namibia. He also is the owner of the Institute of Information Technology (IIT). The Alliance is the organisation that has not paid the salary, while IIT is the company that advanced monies against the salary that was due. After Mr. van Graan indicated to me that I cannot work for both organisations, I decided to work for the ICT Alliance and improved the ICT environment. Unfortunately, Mr. van Graan as Chairperson of the Alliance as well as the owner of the company making money from my tutoring, made this impossible.) __________________________
My reply:
Thank you Lodewyk.
I am a person who believes in really letting it all out. I am glad you wish to do so too.
Funny, the Messenger of the Court is using my data and they know my exact details - even have a nulla bona signed because of the behaviour of creditors who use legalese to get debt written up. I am even advocating a law to provide debt counselling to poor Namibians.
Be that as they may I look forward to making this a discussion about my past. Do yourself a favour though, read my book. Everything you are alluding to is stated in it - including my debts and how they were occurred.
Perhaps also read my blog in this regard: http://milton-louw.blogspo
I once again thank you for publicising more of the information. These things need to get out there.
Kind regards and look forward to your next correspondence
Thank you kindly for your response. Congratulations on your new found success, and what seems to be a positive future. You still however need to settle the past.
You are once again misrepresenting the facts for your own benefit. I’ll leave it at that and not go into the specifics. Should anyone at any time require us to provide proof of anything you did we shall be happy to do so.
I have no clout with legal shield and believe them quite capable of making decisions about who they emply on their own. Their decision might have been influenced by other factors such as the 2 court judgements against you for, shall we say questionable business practices.
Our organisation and the IPPR still want these resolved but even after numerous attempts from us and the IPPR to discuss this with you, you have always managed to avoid us and the messenger of the court finding you.
I am very surprised to hear from you and very happy. Please be so kind as to provide me with your physical address and more detail of the fixed assets you refer to so that we can settle the legal wrangling that you have with both the IPPR and our organisation.
Regards
Lodewyk van Graan
(Note: Mr. Lodewyk van Graan is the chairperson of the ICT Alliance of Namibia. He also is the owner of the Institute of Information Technology (IIT). The Alliance is the organisation that has not paid the salary, while IIT is the company that advanced monies against the salary that was due. After Mr. van Graan indicated to me that I cannot work for both organisations, I decided to work for the ICT Alliance and improved the ICT environment. Unfortunately, Mr. van Graan as Chairperson of the Alliance as well as the owner of the company making money from my tutoring, made this impossible.) __________________________
My reply:
Thank you Lodewyk.
I am a person who believes in really letting it all out. I am glad you wish to do so too.
Funny, the Messenger of the Court is using my data and they know my exact details - even have a nulla bona signed because of the behaviour of creditors who use legalese to get debt written up. I am even advocating a law to provide debt counselling to poor Namibians.
Be that as they may I look forward to making this a discussion about my past. Do yourself a favour though, read my book. Everything you are alluding to is stated in it - including my debts and how they were occurred.
Perhaps also read my blog in this regard: http://milton-louw.blogspo
I once again thank you for publicising more of the information. These things need to get out there.
Kind regards and look forward to your next correspondence
Open letter to Lodewyk van Graan, Chairperson of the ICT Alliance of Namibia
Dear Lodewyk,
I am glad the ICT Alliance is eventually having its AGM tomorrow and I hope many people attend. But please stop blaming me for all the mishaps at the organisation.
I quote
"We all have concerns regarding the upcoming AGM as we have been left in a lurch by the previous secretary to a certain extent. Much of our documentation and records were lost as a result of what I believe to be malice from our previous secretary after being implicated in unethical behaviour and who was duly terminated. We have, since his departure been building up our records again and will to the best of our ability present an accurate report on the past term of the Alliance. "
You cut me off from the server at IIT before we even had a disciplinary hearing. Quite honestly, it was the best thing you ever did. Even for me, having a hearing find me guilty in a job that has not paid me a salary for a eight months was great!! It gave me a chance to write a book and now I head over 5,000 members of the Namibia Consumer Protection Group on issues such as the Nampower increase.
So please, if you want to put blame somewhere, leave me out of it.
Malice (A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite) is not something you would ever find in me. That is what you did when you called Legalshield and got them to withdraw their job offer the morning I was supposed to start. And even for that I am happy. By not taking the job, I now have 500 hectares in the Otjimbingwe district.
Kind regards, I will always be thankful to you for the opportunity to teach so many Namibians while at your company,
Milton
___
"A noble heart cannot suspect in others the pettiness and malice that it has never felt. "
I am glad the ICT Alliance is eventually having its AGM tomorrow and I hope many people attend. But please stop blaming me for all the mishaps at the organisation.
I quote
"We all have concerns regarding the upcoming AGM as we have been left in a lurch by the previous secretary to a certain extent. Much of our documentation and records were lost as a result of what I believe to be malice from our previous secretary after being implicated in unethical behaviour and who was duly terminated. We have, since his departure been building up our records again and will to the best of our ability present an accurate report on the past term of the Alliance. "
You cut me off from the server at IIT before we even had a disciplinary hearing. Quite honestly, it was the best thing you ever did. Even for me, having a hearing find me guilty in a job that has not paid me a salary for a eight months was great!! It gave me a chance to write a book and now I head over 5,000 members of the Namibia Consumer Protection Group on issues such as the Nampower increase.
So please, if you want to put blame somewhere, leave me out of it.
Malice (A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite) is not something you would ever find in me. That is what you did when you called Legalshield and got them to withdraw their job offer the morning I was supposed to start. And even for that I am happy. By not taking the job, I now have 500 hectares in the Otjimbingwe district.
Kind regards, I will always be thankful to you for the opportunity to teach so many Namibians while at your company,
Milton
___
"A noble heart cannot suspect in others the pettiness and malice that it has never felt. "
No to leaderless consumer protest actions in Namibia
The NCPG is a non-profit Namibian organisation that campaigns for customer rights and focuses on illegal and unethical behaviour by Namibian companies.
As a lobby group, we believe that we need to be involved with Government, State-Owned Enterprises, Community-Based Organisations and the Media in our efforts to protect the rights of the consumer. In this regard, we believe strongly in interaction to find solutions facing us all in Namibia.
During the past two weeks we have been calling for action against the Nampower proposal for a 35% price increase in the provision in Electricity. Our website and email newsletter started a petition that clearly states our objections and is aimed at the Electricity Control Board who is the body responsible for deciding upon the increase, or not. This was taken one step further by the “We don't accept the 35% electricity price increase from Nampower” group on Facebook started by UK-based community activist Jade McClune.
It is with regret that we wish to inform the public through this statement, that we no longer can support the unilateral decisions being proposed by Mr McClune for us here in Namibia to undertake street actions. Such protest should be organised locally and have clear indications of who the leaders are, and these leaders must be present to show they are in the forefront of such action.
As much as we desire attention to this cause, we cannot condone actions that are not clearly aimed at addressing the problem, rather than becoming a platform for unrest. Thus, while as individuals we will attend the planned protest march, as a lobby group we must insist that such actions have clearly defined leadership that is present at such actions.
We assure all the consumers in Namibia that we will continue to work in your best interest by working together with Government and business in ensuring your rights are respected.
We will continue the fight for consumers. It is “Our Money, Our Rights”.
Milton Louw
Founder
Crucifixion vs. Resurrection
Last night I had dream:
Since the crucifixion of Jesus there has been a family of one of his disciples that managed to take down his cross and keep it hidden. This family stayed in the Middle East and found things becoming very difficult during the time of the Ottoman Empire as they had become Christians. The Patriarch decided to entrust their mission of looking after the cross to one of his most trusted friends to happened to be of the Muslim faith.
The Muslim family has been keeping the secret of the safekeeping of the cross of Jesus since this time. Recently, the descendants of the original family wished to have the cross returned to them. The two families have always been close and a meeting was held to discuss the matter.
The head of the Muslim family was however not agreeable with the suggestion and kept putting up obstacles to the return.
The Christian Patriarch discovered that since the time of the handover to the Muslim family, many unexplainable things had happened to the family and their success, riches and fame had increased tremendously. Obviously, the task of looking after the cross had benefited this family and they would be reluctant to part with it.
This difficulty caused problems with the relationship between the families and they became every distant and mistrusting of one another.
After much thought, he realised the truth of the matter.
They were spending much time talking about the object representing the crucifixion, rather than recognising it is the resurrection that is important.
My understanding of the dream: We spend too much time telling others about our suffering, rather than rejoicing on how we overcame it.
Since the crucifixion of Jesus there has been a family of one of his disciples that managed to take down his cross and keep it hidden. This family stayed in the Middle East and found things becoming very difficult during the time of the Ottoman Empire as they had become Christians. The Patriarch decided to entrust their mission of looking after the cross to one of his most trusted friends to happened to be of the Muslim faith.
The Muslim family has been keeping the secret of the safekeeping of the cross of Jesus since this time. Recently, the descendants of the original family wished to have the cross returned to them. The two families have always been close and a meeting was held to discuss the matter.
The head of the Muslim family was however not agreeable with the suggestion and kept putting up obstacles to the return.
The Christian Patriarch discovered that since the time of the handover to the Muslim family, many unexplainable things had happened to the family and their success, riches and fame had increased tremendously. Obviously, the task of looking after the cross had benefited this family and they would be reluctant to part with it.
This difficulty caused problems with the relationship between the families and they became every distant and mistrusting of one another.
After much thought, he realised the truth of the matter.
They were spending much time talking about the object representing the crucifixion, rather than recognising it is the resurrection that is important.
My understanding of the dream: We spend too much time telling others about our suffering, rather than rejoicing on how we overcame it.
Nampower management should be fired
Namibian Economist - FRIDAY, 09 APRIL 2010 11:03
Written by Nyasha Nyaungwa
The Namibia Protection Group (NPG) has called for the sacking of the managing director of Nampower, Paulinus Shilamba and his management. The call follows an announcement by the power utility last week that it will be seeking a 35% tariff increment from the Electricity Control Board of Namibia (ECB).
In an interview, founder of the NPG, Milton Louw said the proposed 35% electricity increase was reason enough for Shilamba to be fired.
“Surely we can expect better management that realises the importance of electricity in the daily lives of our people. This kind of increase will lead to a decrease in economic activity, and job losses. This is reason enough to ask for his (Shilamba’s) replacement.
“The MD and his management must be tackled directly. They are responsible for the long-term planning and if this has gone wrong they must take the blame. Pity this will probably not happen,” Louw added.
Instead of increasing, electricity tariffs, Louw implored the government to urgently finalise the Kudu Gas Project.
“We must get the Kudu Gas Project going now. This project never seems to get off the ground. Second, let’s build a nuclear power station (explained fully in my book) that is a compromise on our supplying uranium,” Louw said.
Contacted for comment, officials at the ECB refused to comment on the matter. An official from the PR department who refused to identify himself could only say that the issue of whether a 35% increase will be granted or not will be based on the outcome of the consultation process that is scheduled to end this Friday, 9 April.
“If the majority of the stakeholders are against the proposed tariff increase, a compromise will have to be reached as we basically have two groups to protect, namely: Nampower and the consumers,” the official said.
Written by Nyasha Nyaungwa
The Namibia Protection Group (NPG) has called for the sacking of the managing director of Nampower, Paulinus Shilamba and his management. The call follows an announcement by the power utility last week that it will be seeking a 35% tariff increment from the Electricity Control Board of Namibia (ECB).
In an interview, founder of the NPG, Milton Louw said the proposed 35% electricity increase was reason enough for Shilamba to be fired.
“Surely we can expect better management that realises the importance of electricity in the daily lives of our people. This kind of increase will lead to a decrease in economic activity, and job losses. This is reason enough to ask for his (Shilamba’s) replacement.
“The MD and his management must be tackled directly. They are responsible for the long-term planning and if this has gone wrong they must take the blame. Pity this will probably not happen,” Louw added.
Instead of increasing, electricity tariffs, Louw implored the government to urgently finalise the Kudu Gas Project.
“We must get the Kudu Gas Project going now. This project never seems to get off the ground. Second, let’s build a nuclear power station (explained fully in my book) that is a compromise on our supplying uranium,” Louw said.
Contacted for comment, officials at the ECB refused to comment on the matter. An official from the PR department who refused to identify himself could only say that the issue of whether a 35% increase will be granted or not will be based on the outcome of the consultation process that is scheduled to end this Friday, 9 April.
“If the majority of the stakeholders are against the proposed tariff increase, a compromise will have to be reached as we basically have two groups to protect, namely: Nampower and the consumers,” the official said.
How to get FB without accessing the site (your company blocked it)
*NOT an original post of Milton Louw*
Just to help those of us who are not so techie to get FB:
I follow it through a feed reader (in my case, Google Reader).
Besides the obvious benefits to this, one great side effect is that you never, ever see the output of applications (e.g., quiz results) or the other useless noise like "so-and-so is now friends with someone else you already know". The only drawback I've found is that you also don't see notifications about photos that your friends have uploaded. (You do see links that they post, however: just not Facebook-hosted photos. It's a bizarre omission.)
Anyway, I just had to explain to someone how to accomplish this feat, which made me realize how completely non-obvious Facebook has made this. Finding these feeds is a complete pain in the ass. They've really gone out of their way to hide the URLs you need to use.
So. You have to subscribe to three or four different feeds.
Posts: Find the Posts feed by going to http://www.facebook.com/po
Notes: Find the Notes feed by going to http://www.facebook.com/no
Notifications: Find the Notifications feed by going to http://www.facebook.com/no
Status Updates: This is the RSS URL for the "What are you doing?" Twitter-like part of Facebook. This is the one you probably care about, and it is trickier, because Facebook no longer links to the feed URL! Nice one guys. You have to construct this URL by editing one of the above URLs. E.g., take the "Notes" URL and change the part of the URL that says "friends_notes" to "friends_status". Keep the parts of the URL before and after that, including the magic numbers at the end.
Just to help those of us who are not so techie to get FB:
I follow it through a feed reader (in my case, Google Reader).
Besides the obvious benefits to this, one great side effect is that you never, ever see the output of applications (e.g., quiz results) or the other useless noise like "so-and-so is now friends with someone else you already know". The only drawback I've found is that you also don't see notifications about photos that your friends have uploaded. (You do see links that they post, however: just not Facebook-hosted photos. It's a bizarre omission.)
Anyway, I just had to explain to someone how to accomplish this feat, which made me realize how completely non-obvious Facebook has made this. Finding these feeds is a complete pain in the ass. They've really gone out of their way to hide the URLs you need to use.
So. You have to subscribe to three or four different feeds.
Posts: Find the Posts feed by going to http://www.facebook.com/po
Notes: Find the Notes feed by going to http://www.facebook.com/no
Notifications: Find the Notifications feed by going to http://www.facebook.com/no
Status Updates: This is the RSS URL for the "What are you doing?" Twitter-like part of Facebook. This is the one you probably care about, and it is trickier, because Facebook no longer links to the feed URL! Nice one guys. You have to construct this URL by editing one of the above URLs. E.g., take the "Notes" URL and change the part of the URL that says "friends_notes" to "friends_status". Keep the parts of the URL before and after that, including the magic numbers at the end.
Fire Nampower MD!
This is completely unacceptable! Nampower loses money on political decisions to support Zimbabwe and we, the Consumers, must now pay the price.
Not only should we reject this increase, we should demand the heads of the management at the company.
Nampower is looking at INCREASING ELECTRICITY by 35%.
If the public have anything against this increase they can send an e-mail to the following address: -
mayame@ecb.org (ECB is the Electricity Control Board of Namibia)
Please note that this email should reach them before the 6th of April (next Tuesday).
Please forward this address to all Namibians in your address book.
Not only should we reject this increase, we should demand the heads of the management at the company.
Nampower is looking at INCREASING ELECTRICITY by 35%.
If the public have anything against this increase they can send an e-mail to the following address: -
mayame@ecb.org (ECB is the Electricity Control Board of Namibia)
Please note that this email should reach them before the 6th of April (next Tuesday).
Please forward this address to all Namibians in your address book.
World Consumer Rights Day 2010 - 'Our money, our rights'
The global consumer movement will once again unite for a day of action on 15 March 2010. The theme for World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2010 is ‘Our money, our rights’ and will highlight consumer issues in relation to financial services.
The Namibia Consumer Protection Group is presently working at attaining membership of Consumer International.
Consumers International (CI) is the world federation of consumer groups that, working together with its members, serves as the only independent and authoritative global voice for consumers.
With over 220 member organisations in 115 countries, CI is building a powerful international movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere.
Founded in 1960, the organisation is now needed more than ever. This modern movement is essential to secure a fair safe and sustainable future for consumers in a global marketplace increasingly dominated by international corporations.
Campaigns and programmes
CI campaigns on the international issues that matter to consumers everywhere. This means achieving real changes in government policy and corporate behaviour while raising awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities.
In campaigning for the rights of consumers across the world, CI seeks to hold corporations to account and demands government action to put consumer concerns first.
To this end, CI is committed to acting as a global watchdog: campaigning against any behaviour that threatens, ignores or abuses the principles of consumer protection.
CI is doing this by:
* Working with national member organisations to influence governments, highlight marketplace abuses and raise grass roots support.
* Pressing consumer concerns through official representation global bodies such as the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), International Organization of Standardization (ISO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
* Raising awareness about purchasing choices through clear, engaging and accessible communication.
The Namibia Consumer Protection Group is presently working at attaining membership of Consumer International.
Consumers International (CI) is the world federation of consumer groups that, working together with its members, serves as the only independent and authoritative global voice for consumers.
With over 220 member organisations in 115 countries, CI is building a powerful international movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere.
Founded in 1960, the organisation is now needed more than ever. This modern movement is essential to secure a fair safe and sustainable future for consumers in a global marketplace increasingly dominated by international corporations.
Campaigns and programmes
CI campaigns on the international issues that matter to consumers everywhere. This means achieving real changes in government policy and corporate behaviour while raising awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities.
In campaigning for the rights of consumers across the world, CI seeks to hold corporations to account and demands government action to put consumer concerns first.
To this end, CI is committed to acting as a global watchdog: campaigning against any behaviour that threatens, ignores or abuses the principles of consumer protection.
CI is doing this by:
* Working with national member organisations to influence governments, highlight marketplace abuses and raise grass roots support.
* Pressing consumer concerns through official representation global bodies such as the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), International Organization of Standardization (ISO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
* Raising awareness about purchasing choices through clear, engaging and accessible communication.
Brotherhood among us (1987)
Can’t we all come and meet each other
And no matter what colour we may be
Be able to show we love one another
And then together we’ll stand, you and me
The leaders of Tomorrow,
Planning for what is to come
Otherwise there will be lots of needless sorrow
Over killing which are quite dumb.
So come closer now and grab my hand
And we’ll accept each other as brothers
And then together we’ll be able to stand
To show our Father and Mothers
We want to plan for a common future
No matter what our race, colour or culture.
And no matter what colour we may be
Be able to show we love one another
And then together we’ll stand, you and me
The leaders of Tomorrow,
Planning for what is to come
Otherwise there will be lots of needless sorrow
Over killing which are quite dumb.
So come closer now and grab my hand
And we’ll accept each other as brothers
And then together we’ll be able to stand
To show our Father and Mothers
We want to plan for a common future
No matter what our race, colour or culture.
Forgiving is a hard journey
“We achieve inner health only through forgiveness - the forgiveness not only of others but also of ourselves”
This year I decided to face the anger and pain in my heart. Unfortunately, like a boil, you first have to pierce it and let the puss out before you can treat it. This I did and was heartened by the many friends on FB who commented on this angry outburst.
My inspiration for this Xmas period and beyond is:
"Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness."
This year I decided to face the anger and pain in my heart. Unfortunately, like a boil, you first have to pierce it and let the puss out before you can treat it. This I did and was heartened by the many friends on FB who commented on this angry outburst.
My inspiration for this Xmas period and beyond is:
"Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness."
On being a father
My daughter, Ziana, just passed her Grade 10 with flying colours.
Being a divorced father, I realise "..fatherhood isn't easy like motherhood". So pasted below a few quotes for us fathers out there:
* The father who would taste the essence of his fatherhood must turn back from the plane of his experience, take with him the fruits of his journey and begin again beside his child, marching step by step over the same old road. ~Angelo Patri
* There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994
* Henry James once defined life as that predicament which precedes death, and certainly nobody owes you a debt of honor or gratitude for getting him into that predicament. But a child does owe his father a debt, if Dad, having gotten him into this peck of trouble, takes off his coat and buckles down to the job of showing his son how best to crash through it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
Being a divorced father, I realise "..fatherhood isn't easy like motherhood". So pasted below a few quotes for us fathers out there:
* The father who would taste the essence of his fatherhood must turn back from the plane of his experience, take with him the fruits of his journey and begin again beside his child, marching step by step over the same old road. ~Angelo Patri
* There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994
* Henry James once defined life as that predicament which precedes death, and certainly nobody owes you a debt of honor or gratitude for getting him into that predicament. But a child does owe his father a debt, if Dad, having gotten him into this peck of trouble, takes off his coat and buckles down to the job of showing his son how best to crash through it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
Celebrating four decades
“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.”
I stand today at a crossroads in my life. In this past year I have spent considerable time in looking at my past, and specifically my motivations for the actions that I have undertaken. Now as I stand on the brink of turning 40, it is time to build on the foundations I have laid.
The one thing that I can say is, I have fought the temptation to take the easy way. My choice has more often than not been the "road less travelled".
This coming year will be rather a harsh one. If I have done what was required, and my planning was right, all will be well.
I stand today at a crossroads in my life. In this past year I have spent considerable time in looking at my past, and specifically my motivations for the actions that I have undertaken. Now as I stand on the brink of turning 40, it is time to build on the foundations I have laid.
The one thing that I can say is, I have fought the temptation to take the easy way. My choice has more often than not been the "road less travelled".
This coming year will be rather a harsh one. If I have done what was required, and my planning was right, all will be well.
The lady on the farm
I cannot believe you have left,
On the way to the airport,
Not knowing what you have done,
Or understanding what I caught.
We both were stuck with heartache,
Shared it with each other for while,
Feeling much better now knowing,
Others need not understand our style.
Most of the other family and guests around us,
Probably thought it was only a holiday fling,
But we both know better about our hearts,
And the joy to our insides it did bring.
I am sorry that I had to act nonchalant,
And pretend there was nothing between us,
Because your family need only have looked at me,
And in my eyes have seen the lust.
Now you left back for your home,
Thank god that we have facebook,
Now every day we can chat and laugh,
And get ready for the next holiday u book.
On the way to the airport,
Not knowing what you have done,
Or understanding what I caught.
We both were stuck with heartache,
Shared it with each other for while,
Feeling much better now knowing,
Others need not understand our style.
Most of the other family and guests around us,
Probably thought it was only a holiday fling,
But we both know better about our hearts,
And the joy to our insides it did bring.
I am sorry that I had to act nonchalant,
And pretend there was nothing between us,
Because your family need only have looked at me,
And in my eyes have seen the lust.
Now you left back for your home,
Thank god that we have facebook,
Now every day we can chat and laugh,
And get ready for the next holiday u book.
I am a Success!
I am successful! By definition, success is about attaining an objective. Thus to be successful means you meet your objectives.
The catch is what are your objectives? How do you go about setting these aims? Is it a haphazard guess - oooh I want to be rich? Or do you seriously sit down and take time to plan and concretise your objectives?
I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers and mentors who, from an early age, encouraged me to achieve my objectives because they believed in me. One of the most important lessons I learnt was how to set an objective.
In school we are taught an objective should be SMART - that is:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T- Time-bound
This is easier said than done!!!!!! Nevertheless, once an objective is SMART, success is bound to happen.
One thing that has helped me over the years is the visualisation of my success. I spend time daydreaming about what it would be like to have achieved the success already. I even make a shopping list of the things I will buy with the money I plan on earning.
Another important part of achieving success is making sure I do not use the measuring stick of others. If you find money important, then use it as YOUR measure. BUT, for me acquiring knowledge and helping others is my measure.
In 1999, I was challenged to create a business plan for my business life. It took almost three years, but I completed a comprehensive plan in 2003. Of course, when I did the financials, I realised that at least N$ 10 million would be needed. Now, where was I going to get that kind of money?
Then a funny thing started happening. As the years have gone on, I evaluate the objectives set in the plan and guess what? I always meet, if not surpass, all the objectives set out in my plan. WITHOUT THE MONEY?
How do I do it you ask? The setting up of these objectives were SMART. The need for certain actions were written up. All I have to do is alighn myslef with what the universe has seen to be the end result. I got no other answer than that.
So I end this with a suggestion to you. Prepare a Business Plan for your Life!
The catch is what are your objectives? How do you go about setting these aims? Is it a haphazard guess - oooh I want to be rich? Or do you seriously sit down and take time to plan and concretise your objectives?
I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers and mentors who, from an early age, encouraged me to achieve my objectives because they believed in me. One of the most important lessons I learnt was how to set an objective.
In school we are taught an objective should be SMART - that is:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T- Time-bound
This is easier said than done!!!!!! Nevertheless, once an objective is SMART, success is bound to happen.
One thing that has helped me over the years is the visualisation of my success. I spend time daydreaming about what it would be like to have achieved the success already. I even make a shopping list of the things I will buy with the money I plan on earning.
Another important part of achieving success is making sure I do not use the measuring stick of others. If you find money important, then use it as YOUR measure. BUT, for me acquiring knowledge and helping others is my measure.
In 1999, I was challenged to create a business plan for my business life. It took almost three years, but I completed a comprehensive plan in 2003. Of course, when I did the financials, I realised that at least N$ 10 million would be needed. Now, where was I going to get that kind of money?
Then a funny thing started happening. As the years have gone on, I evaluate the objectives set in the plan and guess what? I always meet, if not surpass, all the objectives set out in my plan. WITHOUT THE MONEY?
How do I do it you ask? The setting up of these objectives were SMART. The need for certain actions were written up. All I have to do is alighn myslef with what the universe has seen to be the end result. I got no other answer than that.
So I end this with a suggestion to you. Prepare a Business Plan for your Life!
Extended CreditWise Consumer Protection
The CreditWise Consumer Protection Plan is also offering additional services. This includes an online filing cabinet for medical records, financial information and more.
Wallet / Purse Backup
have you lost your wallet, or worse had it stolen? With our Wallet Section you can save the following information:
* Banking and insurance information, such as account numbers, bank card numbers, and insurance, health, car and home insurance data
* Identification records, like ID documents, drivers licenses, passports, social security numbers and even your educational certificates
Identity Theft Cover
If your identity is stolen we will help you deal with the problems that arise and get your life back on track.
Medical History
Do you know your blood group, or those of your family? Would you be able to answer a medical question in an emergency? In the medical section we allow you store information such as:
* Allergies, medical conditions, family health records, your personal medical history, including medications you have taken or are taking, immunization records, surgeries/procedures, and medical devices.
* Information about your various healthcare providers (doctors, dentists, etc.) and other vital medical documents.
* Emergency contact information that is connected to an ICE (In Case of Emergency) card you will receive in the mail with your subscription
All this information is available 24/7 via our online or telephone service.
Wallet / Purse Backup
have you lost your wallet, or worse had it stolen? With our Wallet Section you can save the following information:
* Banking and insurance information, such as account numbers, bank card numbers, and insurance, health, car and home insurance data
* Identification records, like ID documents, drivers licenses, passports, social security numbers and even your educational certificates
Identity Theft Cover
If your identity is stolen we will help you deal with the problems that arise and get your life back on track.
Medical History
Do you know your blood group, or those of your family? Would you be able to answer a medical question in an emergency? In the medical section we allow you store information such as:
* Allergies, medical conditions, family health records, your personal medical history, including medications you have taken or are taking, immunization records, surgeries/procedures, and medical devices.
* Information about your various healthcare providers (doctors, dentists, etc.) and other vital medical documents.
* Emergency contact information that is connected to an ICE (In Case of Emergency) card you will receive in the mail with your subscription
All this information is available 24/7 via our online or telephone service.
Abortion - what else do we have to offer?
Human Rights Watch considers abortion within the context of human rights, arguing:
"Abortion is a highly emotional subject and one that excites deeply held opinions. However, equitable access to safe abortion services is first and foremost a human right. Where abortion is safe and legal, no one is forced to have one. Where abortion is illegal and unsafe, women are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term or suffer serious health consequences and even death. Approximately 13% of maternal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe abortion—between 68,000 and 78,000 deaths annually”
I have often been asked what my opinion of abortion is. My Christian upbringing immediately jumps in and shouts “No”. I see no wrong in contraceptives as a form of birth control, but the abortion issue becomes too emotional, too quickly.
However, what are we doing as a community to support pregnant young girls? Is there a social safety net for unwed mothers who cannot, or do not, want this child? It is sad to hear of another case of infanticide, but I have never heard of the father also being held responsible.
We need to as a community, provide support structures through homes for unwed mothers, or even drop-off points for unwanted children.
"Abortion is a highly emotional subject and one that excites deeply held opinions. However, equitable access to safe abortion services is first and foremost a human right. Where abortion is safe and legal, no one is forced to have one. Where abortion is illegal and unsafe, women are forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term or suffer serious health consequences and even death. Approximately 13% of maternal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe abortion—between 68,000 and 78,000 deaths annually”
I have often been asked what my opinion of abortion is. My Christian upbringing immediately jumps in and shouts “No”. I see no wrong in contraceptives as a form of birth control, but the abortion issue becomes too emotional, too quickly.
However, what are we doing as a community to support pregnant young girls? Is there a social safety net for unwed mothers who cannot, or do not, want this child? It is sad to hear of another case of infanticide, but I have never heard of the father also being held responsible.
We need to as a community, provide support structures through homes for unwed mothers, or even drop-off points for unwanted children.
"Happiness" by Max Erdmann
To be without desire is to be content. But contentment is not happiness. And in contentment there is no progress. Happiness is to desire something, to work for it, and to obtain at least a part of it. In the pursuit of beloved labor the busy days pass cheerfully employed, and the still nights in peaceful sleep.
For labor born of desire is not drudgerey, but manly play. Success brings hope, hope inspires fresh desire, and desire gives zest to life and joy to labor. This is true whether your days be spent in the palaces of the powerful or in some little green byway of the world.
Therefore, while yet you have the strength, cherish a desire to do some useful work in your little corner of the world, and have the steadfastness to labor. For this is the way to the happy life; with health and endearing ties, it is the way to the glorious life.
For labor born of desire is not drudgerey, but manly play. Success brings hope, hope inspires fresh desire, and desire gives zest to life and joy to labor. This is true whether your days be spent in the palaces of the powerful or in some little green byway of the world.
Therefore, while yet you have the strength, cherish a desire to do some useful work in your little corner of the world, and have the steadfastness to labor. For this is the way to the happy life; with health and endearing ties, it is the way to the glorious life.
"I go my way" by Max Ehrmann
All round is haste, confusion, noise.
For power and wealth men stretch the day
From dawn till dusk.
But quietly I go my way.
For glitter, show, to taunt the crowd,
Desire-tossed in wild dismay,
Men sell their souls.
But quietly I go my way.
The green of all the fields is mine;
The stars, the night, the wind at play,
A peaceful heart, while quietly
I go my way.
Cinderella - Roald Dahl
I guess you think you know this story.
You don't. The real one's much more gory.
The phoney one, the one you know,
Was cooked up years and years ago,
And made to sound all soft and sappy
just to keep the children happy.
Mind you, they got the first bit right,
The bit where, in the dead of night,
The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all,
Departed for the Palace Ball,
While darling little Cinderella
Was locked up in a slimy cellar,
Where rats who wanted things to eat,
Began to nibble at her feet.
She bellowed 'Help!' and 'Let me out!
The Magic Fairy heard her shout.
Appearing in a blaze of light,
She said: 'My dear, are you all right?'
'All right?' cried Cindy .'Can't you see
'I feel as rotten as can be!'
She beat her fist against the wall,
And shouted, 'Get me to the Ball!
'There is a Disco at the Palace!
'The rest have gone and I am jealous!
'I want a dress! I want a coach!
'And earrings and a diamond brooch!
'And silver slippers, two of those!
'And lovely nylon panty hose!
'Done up like that I'll guarantee
'The handsome Prince will fall for me!'
The Fairy said, 'Hang on a tick.'
She gave her wand a mighty flick
And quickly, in no time at all,
Cindy was at the Palace Ball!
It made the Ugly Sisters wince
To see her dancing with the Prince.
She held him very tight and pressed
herself against his manly chest.
The Prince himself was turned to pulp,
All he could do was gasp and gulp.
Then midnight struck. She shouted,'Heck!
I've got to run to save my neck!'
The Prince cried, 'No! Alas! Alack!'
He grabbed her dress to hold her back.
As Cindy shouted, 'Let me go!'
The dress was ripped from head to toe.
She ran out in her underwear,
And lost one slipper on the stair.
The Prince was on it like a dart,
He pressed it to his pounding heart,
'The girl this slipper fits,' he cried,
'Tomorrow morn shall be my bride!
I'll visit every house in town
'Until I've tracked the maiden down!'
Then rather carelessly, I fear,
He placed it on a crate of beer.
At once, one of the Ugly Sisters,
(The one whose face was blotched with blisters)
Sneaked up and grabbed the dainty shoe,
And quickly flushed it down the loo.
Then in its place she calmly put
The slipper from her own left foot.
Ah ha, you see, the plot grows thicker,
And Cindy's luck starts looking sicker.
Next day, the Prince went charging down
To knock on all the doors in town.
In every house, the tension grew.
Who was the owner of the shoe?
The shoe was long and very wide.
(A normal foot got lost inside.)
Also it smelled a wee bit icky.
(The owner's feet were hot and sticky.)
Thousands of eager people came
To try it on, but all in vain.
Now came the Ugly Sisters' go.
One tried it on. The Prince screamed, 'No!'
But she screamed, 'Yes! It fits! Whoopee!
'So now you've got to marry me!'
The Prince went white from ear to ear.
He muttered, 'Let me out of here.'
'Oh no you don't! You made a vow!
'There's no way you can back out now!'
'Off with her head!'The Prince roared back.
They chopped it off with one big whack.
This pleased the Prince. He smiled and said,
'She's prettier without her head.'
Then up came Sister Number Two,
Who yelled, 'Now I will try the shoe!'
'Try this instead!' the Prince yelled back.
He swung his trusty sword and smack
Her head went crashing to the ground.
It bounced a bit and rolled around.
In the kitchen, peeling spuds,
Cinderella heard the thuds
Of bouncing heads upon the floor,
And poked her own head round the door.
'What's all the racket? 'Cindy cried.
'Mind your own bizz,' the Prince replied.
Poor Cindy's heart was torn to shreds.
My Prince! she thought. He chops off heads!
How could I marry anyone
Who does that sort of thing for fun?
The Prince cried, 'Who's this dirty slut?
'Off with her nut! Off with her nut!'
Just then, all in a blaze of light,
The Magic Fairy hove in sight,
Her Magic Wand went swoosh and swish!
'Cindy! 'she cried, 'come make a wish!
'Wish anything and have no doubt
'That I will make it come about!'
Cindy answered, 'Oh kind Fairy,
'This time I shall be more wary.
'No more Princes, no more money.
'I have had my taste of honey.
I'm wishing for a decent man.
'They're hard to find. D'you think you can?'
Within a minute, Cinderella
Was married to a lovely feller,
A simple jam maker by trade,
Who sold good home-made marmalade.
Their house was filled with smiles and laughter
And they were happy ever after.
You don't. The real one's much more gory.
The phoney one, the one you know,
Was cooked up years and years ago,
And made to sound all soft and sappy
just to keep the children happy.
Mind you, they got the first bit right,
The bit where, in the dead of night,
The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all,
Departed for the Palace Ball,
While darling little Cinderella
Was locked up in a slimy cellar,
Where rats who wanted things to eat,
Began to nibble at her feet.
She bellowed 'Help!' and 'Let me out!
The Magic Fairy heard her shout.
Appearing in a blaze of light,
She said: 'My dear, are you all right?'
'All right?' cried Cindy .'Can't you see
'I feel as rotten as can be!'
She beat her fist against the wall,
And shouted, 'Get me to the Ball!
'There is a Disco at the Palace!
'The rest have gone and I am jealous!
'I want a dress! I want a coach!
'And earrings and a diamond brooch!
'And silver slippers, two of those!
'And lovely nylon panty hose!
'Done up like that I'll guarantee
'The handsome Prince will fall for me!'
The Fairy said, 'Hang on a tick.'
She gave her wand a mighty flick
And quickly, in no time at all,
Cindy was at the Palace Ball!
It made the Ugly Sisters wince
To see her dancing with the Prince.
She held him very tight and pressed
herself against his manly chest.
The Prince himself was turned to pulp,
All he could do was gasp and gulp.
Then midnight struck. She shouted,'Heck!
I've got to run to save my neck!'
The Prince cried, 'No! Alas! Alack!'
He grabbed her dress to hold her back.
As Cindy shouted, 'Let me go!'
The dress was ripped from head to toe.
She ran out in her underwear,
And lost one slipper on the stair.
The Prince was on it like a dart,
He pressed it to his pounding heart,
'The girl this slipper fits,' he cried,
'Tomorrow morn shall be my bride!
I'll visit every house in town
'Until I've tracked the maiden down!'
Then rather carelessly, I fear,
He placed it on a crate of beer.
At once, one of the Ugly Sisters,
(The one whose face was blotched with blisters)
Sneaked up and grabbed the dainty shoe,
And quickly flushed it down the loo.
Then in its place she calmly put
The slipper from her own left foot.
Ah ha, you see, the plot grows thicker,
And Cindy's luck starts looking sicker.
Next day, the Prince went charging down
To knock on all the doors in town.
In every house, the tension grew.
Who was the owner of the shoe?
The shoe was long and very wide.
(A normal foot got lost inside.)
Also it smelled a wee bit icky.
(The owner's feet were hot and sticky.)
Thousands of eager people came
To try it on, but all in vain.
Now came the Ugly Sisters' go.
One tried it on. The Prince screamed, 'No!'
But she screamed, 'Yes! It fits! Whoopee!
'So now you've got to marry me!'
The Prince went white from ear to ear.
He muttered, 'Let me out of here.'
'Oh no you don't! You made a vow!
'There's no way you can back out now!'
'Off with her head!'The Prince roared back.
They chopped it off with one big whack.
This pleased the Prince. He smiled and said,
'She's prettier without her head.'
Then up came Sister Number Two,
Who yelled, 'Now I will try the shoe!'
'Try this instead!' the Prince yelled back.
He swung his trusty sword and smack
Her head went crashing to the ground.
It bounced a bit and rolled around.
In the kitchen, peeling spuds,
Cinderella heard the thuds
Of bouncing heads upon the floor,
And poked her own head round the door.
'What's all the racket? 'Cindy cried.
'Mind your own bizz,' the Prince replied.
Poor Cindy's heart was torn to shreds.
My Prince! she thought. He chops off heads!
How could I marry anyone
Who does that sort of thing for fun?
The Prince cried, 'Who's this dirty slut?
'Off with her nut! Off with her nut!'
Just then, all in a blaze of light,
The Magic Fairy hove in sight,
Her Magic Wand went swoosh and swish!
'Cindy! 'she cried, 'come make a wish!
'Wish anything and have no doubt
'That I will make it come about!'
Cindy answered, 'Oh kind Fairy,
'This time I shall be more wary.
'No more Princes, no more money.
'I have had my taste of honey.
I'm wishing for a decent man.
'They're hard to find. D'you think you can?'
Within a minute, Cinderella
Was married to a lovely feller,
A simple jam maker by trade,
Who sold good home-made marmalade.
Their house was filled with smiles and laughter
And they were happy ever after.
"Wanderers" by Max Ehrmann
A clear, cool night. I have been reading, but the thoughts of man do not solace me.
I raised the curtain and looked at the moon, clear and silvery; and I brushed some of the unrest out of my mind.
I know all the theories of the moon.
There have been times when the symbols of science have robbed me of some of its mystery and charm.
But no one can explain the moon any more than a grasshopper can explain me.
In youth, the moon promised too much.
But now I understand better; that was not the moon's fault.
Also the moon and I have this in common:
We both are wanderers across the night.
I raised the curtain and looked at the moon, clear and silvery; and I brushed some of the unrest out of my mind.
I know all the theories of the moon.
There have been times when the symbols of science have robbed me of some of its mystery and charm.
But no one can explain the moon any more than a grasshopper can explain me.
In youth, the moon promised too much.
But now I understand better; that was not the moon's fault.
Also the moon and I have this in common:
We both are wanderers across the night.
" Dark Days" by Max Ehrmann
What fool shall say, "My days are fair,
God's in his world and all is well,"
When half mankind shrieks in despair
Worse than in Dante's flaming hell!
I cannot sing in happy mood
While hostile armies take their toll.
On these dark days I toil and brood
With starless midnight in my soul.
And yet, O World, O Life, O God!
I find myself, jest as the fool,
Believing in thy chastening rod,
Believing still that love must rule.
God's in his world and all is well,"
When half mankind shrieks in despair
Worse than in Dante's flaming hell!
I cannot sing in happy mood
While hostile armies take their toll.
On these dark days I toil and brood
With starless midnight in my soul.
And yet, O World, O Life, O God!
I find myself, jest as the fool,
Believing in thy chastening rod,
Believing still that love must rule.
"Reforming Oneself" by Max Ehrmann
It has been raining again. I have been indoors, meditating on the shortcomings of life.
I wish there were more kindly persons in the world. Our competitive life develops selfishness and unkindness.
I am determined to do something about it. I cannot hope to convert many persons. To convert one person, I shall do well.
I will begin with the person I know best - myself.
When it rains and one is much indoors one is likely to meditate on the shortcomings of life.
Let me think - how shall I make myself kind, gentle considerate?
I do believe it has stopped raining.
I can go out now. I'll go and shoot on the archery range.
I'll not bother to reform myself today. Perhaps tomorrow - if it is raining, and I must stay indoors, and meditate on the shortcomings of life.
I wish there were more kindly persons in the world. Our competitive life develops selfishness and unkindness.
I am determined to do something about it. I cannot hope to convert many persons. To convert one person, I shall do well.
I will begin with the person I know best - myself.
When it rains and one is much indoors one is likely to meditate on the shortcomings of life.
Let me think - how shall I make myself kind, gentle considerate?
I do believe it has stopped raining.
I can go out now. I'll go and shoot on the archery range.
I'll not bother to reform myself today. Perhaps tomorrow - if it is raining, and I must stay indoors, and meditate on the shortcomings of life.
"Whatever else you do" by Max Ehrmann
Whatever else you do or forbear,
impose upon yourself the task of happiness;
and now and then abandon yourself
to the joy of laughter.
And however much you condemn
the evil in the world, remember that the
world is not all evil; that somewhere
children are at play, as you yourself in the
old days; that women still find joy
in the stalwart hearts of men;
And that men, treading with restless feet
their many paths, may yet find refuge
from the storms of the world in the cheerful
house of love.
impose upon yourself the task of happiness;
and now and then abandon yourself
to the joy of laughter.
And however much you condemn
the evil in the world, remember that the
world is not all evil; that somewhere
children are at play, as you yourself in the
old days; that women still find joy
in the stalwart hearts of men;
And that men, treading with restless feet
their many paths, may yet find refuge
from the storms of the world in the cheerful
house of love.
"A Prayer" by Max Ehrmann
Let me do my work each day; and if the darkened hours of despair overcome me, may I not forget the strength that comforted me in the desolation of other times.
May I still remember the bright hours that found me walking over the silent hills of my childhood, or dreaming on the margin of a quiet river, when a light glowed within me, and I promised my early God to have courage amid the tempests of the changing years.
Spare me from bitterness and from the sharp passions of unguarded moments. May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit.
Though the world knows me not, may my thoughts and actions be such as shall keep me friendly with myself.
Lift up my eyes from the earth, and let me not forget the uses of the stars. Forbid that I should judge others lest I condemn myself.
Let me not follow the clamor of the world, but walk calmly in my path.
Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am; and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps the kindly light of hope.
And though age and infirmity overtake me, and I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams, teach me still to be thankful for life, and for time's olden memories that are good and sweet; and may the evening's twilight find me gentle still.
May I still remember the bright hours that found me walking over the silent hills of my childhood, or dreaming on the margin of a quiet river, when a light glowed within me, and I promised my early God to have courage amid the tempests of the changing years.
Spare me from bitterness and from the sharp passions of unguarded moments. May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit.
Though the world knows me not, may my thoughts and actions be such as shall keep me friendly with myself.
Lift up my eyes from the earth, and let me not forget the uses of the stars. Forbid that I should judge others lest I condemn myself.
Let me not follow the clamor of the world, but walk calmly in my path.
Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am; and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps the kindly light of hope.
And though age and infirmity overtake me, and I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams, teach me still to be thankful for life, and for time's olden memories that are good and sweet; and may the evening's twilight find me gentle still.
Desiderata - Be a person becoming by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Namibia Consumer Hotline
Great News!
We have completed the agreement with telecom for our Consumer Hotline. The number is 0886 90909.
We will kick this off early next week for testing and have it fully operation by 1 February 2010.
We have completed the agreement with telecom for our Consumer Hotline. The number is 0886 90909.
We will kick this off early next week for testing and have it fully operation by 1 February 2010.
I know, I know Not
There are four kinds of knowing.
• Knowing you know,
• knowing you know not,
• not knowing you know and
• not knowing you know not
Let's look at each one and what it means:
Knowing you know - this is what we consider our education and training
Knowing you know not - this is what we want to learn
Not knowing you know - this refers to information you have gained, but are not aware of using in your life - often recognised as trivia
Not knowing you know not - this is the area you need to find out more about!
Around twenty years ago, I realised that due to the place and time I grew up in, I had been kept in the dark about many things (censorship). This was especaily clear when it came to religion or as it is also known, metphysics.
Below a list of things I did not know I did not know when I was twenty. Maybe you might find it useful?
• Ramtha
• Reiki
• Dianetics – Scientology
• Aristotle
• 7 habits of successful people
• The art of loving a woman
• The art of keeping a good woman
Perhaps, you know something I don't know I don't know?
• Knowing you know,
• knowing you know not,
• not knowing you know and
• not knowing you know not
Let's look at each one and what it means:
Knowing you know - this is what we consider our education and training
Knowing you know not - this is what we want to learn
Not knowing you know - this refers to information you have gained, but are not aware of using in your life - often recognised as trivia
Not knowing you know not - this is the area you need to find out more about!
Around twenty years ago, I realised that due to the place and time I grew up in, I had been kept in the dark about many things (censorship). This was especaily clear when it came to religion or as it is also known, metphysics.
Below a list of things I did not know I did not know when I was twenty. Maybe you might find it useful?
• Ramtha
• Reiki
• Dianetics – Scientology
• Aristotle
• 7 habits of successful people
• The art of loving a woman
• The art of keeping a good woman
Perhaps, you know something I don't know I don't know?
This Colour Thing in Namibia
Many years ago I was asked, “Who are you?” This was before Independence and I understood my credentials were being questioned. My reply was, “First, I am a human being, and secondly I am a Namibian. Last, and least important, I am coloured”.
Now I am 40 and take the time to sit back and look back at the mileposts during my life. It is also the time to look forward to the end of my days, and consider where I have gone wrong, and perhaps where I have made a meaningful difference. It is most definitely like sitting in an armchair and contemplating “in order to understand itself and mentally grasp its own activity, that of the mind.” After all, “to be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction is to live twice.”
So in this last chapter I must also address mistakes that I have made in my feeble attempts at contributing to the nationhood of our beloved land. I have thought it unimportant where my family comes from, what their cultures and beliefs were, and often thought these were to be considered and ultimately rejected as part of their living in a past dominated by the racial classification given by the system of Apartheid.
Who I am is not dictated by our external environment, but rather by the internal. As humans we tend to blame our culture, society, government, employers and even our own families for things that goes wrong, but rarely give them credit for “our” achievements.
As time has passed I have gone from reading science fiction to more biographies on the historical figures in our history. (Imagine my surprise when I found out that Benjamin Franklin had already added a thought for the month in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac, and written advice to a newly establishing tradesman.☺)
Reading through these biographies, and accessing their quotes has made a dramatic impact on my life. Throughout my book, Smile My beloved Land, I have often put forward an argument to find that a similar proposal has been done by great men before me. I was not the first, and hopefully not the last, to have these great expectations form the human race.
Lastly, I address myself to the words of Albert Einstein, “He who cherishes the values of culture cannot fail to be a pacifist.”
Now I am 40 and take the time to sit back and look back at the mileposts during my life. It is also the time to look forward to the end of my days, and consider where I have gone wrong, and perhaps where I have made a meaningful difference. It is most definitely like sitting in an armchair and contemplating “in order to understand itself and mentally grasp its own activity, that of the mind.” After all, “to be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction is to live twice.”
So in this last chapter I must also address mistakes that I have made in my feeble attempts at contributing to the nationhood of our beloved land. I have thought it unimportant where my family comes from, what their cultures and beliefs were, and often thought these were to be considered and ultimately rejected as part of their living in a past dominated by the racial classification given by the system of Apartheid.
Who I am is not dictated by our external environment, but rather by the internal. As humans we tend to blame our culture, society, government, employers and even our own families for things that goes wrong, but rarely give them credit for “our” achievements.
As time has passed I have gone from reading science fiction to more biographies on the historical figures in our history. (Imagine my surprise when I found out that Benjamin Franklin had already added a thought for the month in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac, and written advice to a newly establishing tradesman.☺)
Reading through these biographies, and accessing their quotes has made a dramatic impact on my life. Throughout my book, Smile My beloved Land, I have often put forward an argument to find that a similar proposal has been done by great men before me. I was not the first, and hopefully not the last, to have these great expectations form the human race.
Lastly, I address myself to the words of Albert Einstein, “He who cherishes the values of culture cannot fail to be a pacifist.”
What is success?
I am successful! By definition, success is about attaining an objective. Thus to be successful means you meet your objectives.
The catch is what are your objectives? How do you go about setting these aims? Is it a haphazard guess - oooh I want to be rich? Or do you seriously sit down and take time to plan and concretise your objectives?
I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers and mentors who, from an early age, encouraged me to achieve my objectives because they believed in me. One of the most important lessons I learnt was how to set an objective.
In school we are taught an objective should be SMART - that is:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T- Time-bound
This is easier said than done!!!!!! Nevertheless, once an objective is SMART, success is bound to happen.
One thing that has helped me over the years is the visualisation of my success. I spend time daydreaming about what it would be like to have achieved the success already. I even make a shopping list of the things I will buy with the money I plan on earning.
Another important part of achieving success is making sure I do not use the measuring stick of others. If you find money important, then use it as YOUR measure. BUT, for me acquiring knowledge and helping others is my measure.
In 1999, I was challenged to create a business plan for my business life. It took almost three years, but I completed a comprehensive plan in 2003. Of course, when I did the financials, I realised that at least N$ 10 million would be needed. Now, where was I going to get that kind of money?
Then a funny thing started happening. As the years have gone on, I evaluate the objectives set in the plan and guess what? I always meet, if not surpass, all the objectives set out in my plan. WITHOUT THE MONEY?
How do I do it you ask? The setting up of these objectives were SMART. The need for certain actions were written up. All I have to do is alighn myslef with what the universe has seen to be the end result. I got no other answer than that.
So I end this with a suggestion to you. Prepare a Business Plan for your Life!
The catch is what are your objectives? How do you go about setting these aims? Is it a haphazard guess - oooh I want to be rich? Or do you seriously sit down and take time to plan and concretise your objectives?
I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers and mentors who, from an early age, encouraged me to achieve my objectives because they believed in me. One of the most important lessons I learnt was how to set an objective.
In school we are taught an objective should be SMART - that is:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T- Time-bound
This is easier said than done!!!!!! Nevertheless, once an objective is SMART, success is bound to happen.
One thing that has helped me over the years is the visualisation of my success. I spend time daydreaming about what it would be like to have achieved the success already. I even make a shopping list of the things I will buy with the money I plan on earning.
Another important part of achieving success is making sure I do not use the measuring stick of others. If you find money important, then use it as YOUR measure. BUT, for me acquiring knowledge and helping others is my measure.
In 1999, I was challenged to create a business plan for my business life. It took almost three years, but I completed a comprehensive plan in 2003. Of course, when I did the financials, I realised that at least N$ 10 million would be needed. Now, where was I going to get that kind of money?
Then a funny thing started happening. As the years have gone on, I evaluate the objectives set in the plan and guess what? I always meet, if not surpass, all the objectives set out in my plan. WITHOUT THE MONEY?
How do I do it you ask? The setting up of these objectives were SMART. The need for certain actions were written up. All I have to do is alighn myslef with what the universe has seen to be the end result. I got no other answer than that.
So I end this with a suggestion to you. Prepare a Business Plan for your Life!
Coloured issue can’t be ignored
28.12.2009
Marson Sharpley writes:
As a man of God I realize that I cannot afford the luxury of being so heavenly minded that I become earthly useless. There are three distinct types within the Colored community that I have come to be aware of, i.e. those who consider themselves to be more Black than White, those who consider themselves more White than Black and those who are simply Colored and that’s it!
In fact it has very little to do with skin pigmentation as much as it has to do with upbringing. Nevertheless, no matter what side of the racial divide they lean towards, Coloreds born in Africa are Africans who have the full right to be part of the action and have a piece of the cake. My previous article on this subject must not be viewed as an emotional tirade by what one newspaper termed “proud to be colored”.
No, this matter I intend rationally and pragmatically addressing through systematically forming a delegation of eminent Colored leaders to go and seek an audience with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Namibia. The intention here is not to be subversive, undermining or destabilizing.
The idea is to ensure that the status quo, which seems to be that Coloreds have to have leaders imposed on them because they do not have the ability and capacity to present their leaders, has to be stopped. The sense that the existence of Coloreds is ignored now has to come to an end because we are here and we are real.
We are members of both the ruling party SWAPO and some among us are members of the opposition parties. However, the argument I am pursuing and putting on the table goes beyond party political matters and directly to the very existence and representation of a specific minority group of people who also need to have leaders that they can culturally identify with who will be able to address their specific concerns as a distinct ethnic and cultural group.
The Colored community is made up of some of the best artisans and administrators in the country. Whilst the generalization of the love of strong liquor has established itself in the description of Coloreds, we are also intellectuals, revolutionaries, community activists, students, entrepreneurs, politicians, soldiers, civilian intelligence scientists, journalists, lawyers and doctors.
With this capability I together with otherlike- minded members of the Colored community realize that if we do not have national, political leadership in the RulingParty from our community, the exploitation of Coloreds will be automated. National political leadership status allows the individual(s) to have authority in the society and their community so as to be able to guide, organize and counsel the community or in this case the ethnic group.
This will help to see Colored youth as part of the security apparatus, the diplomatic corps and other strategic areasof governance such as security detail for even the Head of State, and even as drivers for Government VIPs. We want to see our unemployed matriculants in the army, the police force and other sectors where they can be trained so that they become contributors instead of merely maintaining an existence of being parasitic consumers.
We also need to see young people from the Colored community receiving bursaries to Cuba, Russia, USA, Europe and China. I would like to see Colored people also heading State Owned Enterprises and Parastatals. I am making this call in a bid to draw attention to the plight of an entire community that, if it does not have political representation to enhance and instill discipline, will in future breed a level of gangsterism through organized crime like Namibia has never imagined could exist within its borders.
A good example of this is what happened on the Cape Flats in South Africa as recently as 2004. The tendency has been to confine us to tenders and church activity in the hope that that will satisfy us and make us ignore the fact that we have been politically hijacked and systematically marginalized.
One of us is an Under Secretary in Cabinet or something like that, one of us is the Ombudsman, some of us are High Court judges, but who of us are going to be a Deputy Minister, a Minister, a Permanent Secretary, a Governor, a General in the army or a Commodore in the Navy?
Who of us as Coloreds is trusted enough to even be the DG of the civilian intelligence apparatus? If the requirement here is the ability to speak, read and write an indigenous language(s), then let us know so that we can study the language by living in the target language community. Should the main requirement be loyalty, patriotism, commitment and determination to see Vision 2030 realized, then vet us, do background checks, do IQ checks, but for heaven’s sake, stop marginalizing us as Colored people.
Please also understand that as a man of God and as a pastor, I am all things to all men just as the Bible requires, but my background will inform you that I did not just drop out of the sky as a pastor. Everyone in the ministry I lead with my spouse and many other pastors knows that I am raceless and do not tolerate any form of racism, tribalism or ethnic divisionist agendas.
In my interaction with many of you as my political leaders, I realized that many of you have no clue of some of us and where we come from and what our capabilities and experience is. Some of you have been blinded by your own prejudice and tribal arrogance to the point where you have forgotten that we all have minds to think and that we have all been on life’s journey and seen and heard enough to inform us as to what our status is.
Jesus Christ meets a woman at a well and he asks her for water, referring to his tiredness because of the long journey he has made. Metaphorically in the physical, but real in the spirit, the journey He refers to took him 4000 years to the point where He speaks to the woman at the well. Now that is the same with all of us as grown ups.
We have journeyed, politically, academically, spiritually and been around many places and many people. We are NOT VILLAGE FOOLS AND IMBECILES, we are NOT! I believe that there is a need for a Coloured People’s Convention (CPC) within the next three months before posts and positions are allocated. The aim of such a convention will not be to lament how we are being unjustly treated, but rather to identify and elect legitimate and acceptable Colored leaders who have the capacity to fully work for Namibia as a country and for the Coloured people.
Please note that any national leader, especially in the ruling party must be loyal to the party first and then serve the interests of the nation at large and then make sure that they represent their constituency, which is usually tribally and/or ethnically demarcated! That is a given!
However, my concern here is the lack of Colored representation in Government on a more political, national level. Let’s talk, let’s deliberate, let’s discuss, let’s debate and let us reach an amicable win-win situation where I like any other parent can be at ease in this beautiful, peaceful country knowing that my children’s future, like any other child is secure and not undermined just because of being Colored!
Marson Sharpley writes:
As a man of God I realize that I cannot afford the luxury of being so heavenly minded that I become earthly useless. There are three distinct types within the Colored community that I have come to be aware of, i.e. those who consider themselves to be more Black than White, those who consider themselves more White than Black and those who are simply Colored and that’s it!
In fact it has very little to do with skin pigmentation as much as it has to do with upbringing. Nevertheless, no matter what side of the racial divide they lean towards, Coloreds born in Africa are Africans who have the full right to be part of the action and have a piece of the cake. My previous article on this subject must not be viewed as an emotional tirade by what one newspaper termed “proud to be colored”.
No, this matter I intend rationally and pragmatically addressing through systematically forming a delegation of eminent Colored leaders to go and seek an audience with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Namibia. The intention here is not to be subversive, undermining or destabilizing.
The idea is to ensure that the status quo, which seems to be that Coloreds have to have leaders imposed on them because they do not have the ability and capacity to present their leaders, has to be stopped. The sense that the existence of Coloreds is ignored now has to come to an end because we are here and we are real.
We are members of both the ruling party SWAPO and some among us are members of the opposition parties. However, the argument I am pursuing and putting on the table goes beyond party political matters and directly to the very existence and representation of a specific minority group of people who also need to have leaders that they can culturally identify with who will be able to address their specific concerns as a distinct ethnic and cultural group.
The Colored community is made up of some of the best artisans and administrators in the country. Whilst the generalization of the love of strong liquor has established itself in the description of Coloreds, we are also intellectuals, revolutionaries, community activists, students, entrepreneurs, politicians, soldiers, civilian intelligence scientists, journalists, lawyers and doctors.
With this capability I together with otherlike- minded members of the Colored community realize that if we do not have national, political leadership in the RulingParty from our community, the exploitation of Coloreds will be automated. National political leadership status allows the individual(s) to have authority in the society and their community so as to be able to guide, organize and counsel the community or in this case the ethnic group.
This will help to see Colored youth as part of the security apparatus, the diplomatic corps and other strategic areasof governance such as security detail for even the Head of State, and even as drivers for Government VIPs. We want to see our unemployed matriculants in the army, the police force and other sectors where they can be trained so that they become contributors instead of merely maintaining an existence of being parasitic consumers.
We also need to see young people from the Colored community receiving bursaries to Cuba, Russia, USA, Europe and China. I would like to see Colored people also heading State Owned Enterprises and Parastatals. I am making this call in a bid to draw attention to the plight of an entire community that, if it does not have political representation to enhance and instill discipline, will in future breed a level of gangsterism through organized crime like Namibia has never imagined could exist within its borders.
A good example of this is what happened on the Cape Flats in South Africa as recently as 2004. The tendency has been to confine us to tenders and church activity in the hope that that will satisfy us and make us ignore the fact that we have been politically hijacked and systematically marginalized.
One of us is an Under Secretary in Cabinet or something like that, one of us is the Ombudsman, some of us are High Court judges, but who of us are going to be a Deputy Minister, a Minister, a Permanent Secretary, a Governor, a General in the army or a Commodore in the Navy?
Who of us as Coloreds is trusted enough to even be the DG of the civilian intelligence apparatus? If the requirement here is the ability to speak, read and write an indigenous language(s), then let us know so that we can study the language by living in the target language community. Should the main requirement be loyalty, patriotism, commitment and determination to see Vision 2030 realized, then vet us, do background checks, do IQ checks, but for heaven’s sake, stop marginalizing us as Colored people.
Please also understand that as a man of God and as a pastor, I am all things to all men just as the Bible requires, but my background will inform you that I did not just drop out of the sky as a pastor. Everyone in the ministry I lead with my spouse and many other pastors knows that I am raceless and do not tolerate any form of racism, tribalism or ethnic divisionist agendas.
In my interaction with many of you as my political leaders, I realized that many of you have no clue of some of us and where we come from and what our capabilities and experience is. Some of you have been blinded by your own prejudice and tribal arrogance to the point where you have forgotten that we all have minds to think and that we have all been on life’s journey and seen and heard enough to inform us as to what our status is.
Jesus Christ meets a woman at a well and he asks her for water, referring to his tiredness because of the long journey he has made. Metaphorically in the physical, but real in the spirit, the journey He refers to took him 4000 years to the point where He speaks to the woman at the well. Now that is the same with all of us as grown ups.
We have journeyed, politically, academically, spiritually and been around many places and many people. We are NOT VILLAGE FOOLS AND IMBECILES, we are NOT! I believe that there is a need for a Coloured People’s Convention (CPC) within the next three months before posts and positions are allocated. The aim of such a convention will not be to lament how we are being unjustly treated, but rather to identify and elect legitimate and acceptable Colored leaders who have the capacity to fully work for Namibia as a country and for the Coloured people.
Please note that any national leader, especially in the ruling party must be loyal to the party first and then serve the interests of the nation at large and then make sure that they represent their constituency, which is usually tribally and/or ethnically demarcated! That is a given!
However, my concern here is the lack of Colored representation in Government on a more political, national level. Let’s talk, let’s deliberate, let’s discuss, let’s debate and let us reach an amicable win-win situation where I like any other parent can be at ease in this beautiful, peaceful country knowing that my children’s future, like any other child is secure and not undermined just because of being Colored!
Marginalization of Coloureds must end
29.12.2009
Marson Sharpley writes:
WELL done people of Namibia, my fellow countrymen and women! We have to be proud of the manner in which we voted and behaved during the voting period. It is this that makes one proud to be Namibian!
Having said that, I want to advance an argument that I hope will become part of the future debates of our population as we strive to find the best-suited leadership in the political, economic and social sectors of our society. I believe that we need to examine and interrogate the demarcations we have accepted in terms of the roles that people are supposed to be filling in our society.
The Oxford dictionary describes or at least defines politics as the art and science of government or activities concerned with the acquisition or exercise of authority or government. The first point I would like to make and attempt to clarify is the fact that when we speak about “church”, “politics” and/or “society”, we tend to refer to these entities in the third person as though we who are referring to them are not part of them.
Church is the people, politics is the people and society is the people! The idea of addressing these entities as some nebulous concept detached from us is, in my opinion erroneous! I am a human being, a son to my biological parents, a brother to my siblings, a husband to my wife and a father to my children and then I am a Pastor of my ministry as ordained by God.
As a human being who ascribes Christianity as the foundational basis of my world view and philosophy of life, I am ordained to be a leader by God who instructs man to “take dominion” over creation. Making us all leaders in one-way or another. I must be frank at this point and make reference to my mixed raceness, my colouredness in our context. With all that I went through during apartheid in both South Africa and Namibia and after my direct confrontation of racism, I have come to the conclusion that prejudice, tribalism and even racism continue to batter my life like the angry unabated waves of the ocean against the rocks. It is this sense of marginalization that forces me to trace my existence and roots way beyond the physical anthropological stigmatization to the spiritual genesis of who I am.
Both science and the Bible inform me that as molecular and physically visible as I am, I was sound before that, and I was light before being sound and I was thought before being light and before thought you and I and everything were spirit. This then brings me to the realization and conclusion that I owe my existence to none other than God who created me.
The sense of socio-political marginalization and the existence of an invisible ceiling because of being “Coloured” or “mixed race” in Namibia in this day and age makes me, together with other like-minded intellectuals who ascribe to the Bible, come to the conclusion that there is no other recourse but to organize all “Coloured” or “mixed race” people in this country into an entity that cannot and will not be ignored just as the Hereros, Namas, Owambos, Afrikaners, Chinese and Damaras etc are doing right before our very eyes.
This is one of a myriad of reasons why I intend to vigorously campaign for the formation of a Coalition of Political Church Leaders. Oh yes, I voted as a resident of Windhoek rural and my vote remains influenced and informed by my revolutionary mileage and credentials.
However, I realize that my kind both racially and religiously are marginalized because of belly politics. Any church leader who does not have a political impact will have missed the plot because Christianity is about the establishment of the Kingdom of God that is in itself a political exercise. What is happening in our country for “Coloureds” is that we are being informed without it being said that we are so useless that we are unable to be a Governor, a Permanent Secretary, an Ambassador, a Deputy Minister, a Minister etc. I do not see the need to grovel and beg to be given a position in Government just because I am “Coloured”.
Oh yes, you must believe me when I say that I have a patriotism to Namibia that is well known and respected in both political and church circles. Why, I even encourage my pastors and congregations to sing the national anthem at the end of a church service. However, when I meditate and look and examine the modus operandi of the political sphere of Namibia, I realize that with all my eccentric patriotism, I belong to a group of people who are socially, politically and economically marginalized.
Forming a Coalition of Political Church Leaders is going to work at developing a socio-political culture that will truly celebrate and utilize the tribal and ethnic diversity of all participants and transcend all prejudices. As a Pan-Africanist I am clear of my political homes in every African nation I come to, but that does not make me blind and stupid not to see that as a “Coloured” in my home country, I am not taken seriously.
Besides being unfair, unrighteous and wicked, it is a devilish state of affairs that is no longer acceptable and calls for a serious response from my people, the “Coloureds”! Someone had the audacity and temerity to inform me the other day that “Coloureds” were not meant to be. As if they are a mistake.
Now if that is the thinking in certain circles, then I believe the time has come to address such rubbish and begin to make it clear to all and sundry that actually we are not a walkover of drunks, hooligans and whores! I am actually wondering why the Colored community is not realizing and responding to the injustice that is being perpetrated against us. I really and truly never ever thought that I would find myself having to speak up as a “Coloured”.
Having to write like this is to me an indictment against our democracy and what the constitution of the Republic of Namibia stands for! My only recourse as a political church leader is to stand on the Word of God, the Bible and to demand equality and full representation for Coloured people in Government.
Coloured people on the other hand have to realize that as a community, leaders need to be identified and they must take responsibility to organize the “Coloured” community so that we are not taken for granted as is currently the case.
The fact of the matter is that all the other races and ethnic groups in this country have clear leaders on both the political and traditional fronts of our society. Being Coloured is not being a sub-culture that is less African than any other African-born group of people, being Coloured is not a disgrace or a mistake, being Coloured does not mean being viewed as stupid and not caring!
Being Coloured is being a human being created in the image of God with aspirations, dreams and ambitions like all other African tribes, races and ethnic groups in Namibia and the African continent at large. It is this state of affairs that now warrants that I as a Coloured church leader should begin to address this matter as Esther in the Bible had to do for her people the Jews.
I am a loyal member of this society and of my political party! I together with many other worthy Coloured leaders need to be respected and recognized nationally in our nation instead of being made to feel like second-class citizens. I also realize that this stance I am taking will not please many people, but honestly, I am quite tired of pleasing people who are happy with me as long as I remain a good “house nigger”! Rubbish!
This is one debate I am prepared to die for so that my children do not despise who they are to the point of urinating on my grave one day because I did nothing when I should have. Yes, to you who have married or have offspring across ethnic and colour lines, your children will one day find themselves at a place they did not expect because they will be viewed as “coloured” and thus be treated as second class. Looking at the political party lists really was depressing because Coloureds have been clearly lost in the maze of it all!
However I must also add that many Coloured people’s world view has been tarnished and contaminated by the racism of apartheid. This is something that the Coloured community cannot deny as it needs to be addressed! It comes from the fact that the custodians of apartheid indoctrinated the mixed race people that they were superior to the Black people, but lower than the White.
Who am I? Am I a drawer of water and a hewer of wood? Am I just the filling in a sandwich? Am I a pen pusher who’s task it is to advance the comforts of the petty bourgeoisie? Who am I? Who are we?
Marson Sharpley writes:
WELL done people of Namibia, my fellow countrymen and women! We have to be proud of the manner in which we voted and behaved during the voting period. It is this that makes one proud to be Namibian!
Having said that, I want to advance an argument that I hope will become part of the future debates of our population as we strive to find the best-suited leadership in the political, economic and social sectors of our society. I believe that we need to examine and interrogate the demarcations we have accepted in terms of the roles that people are supposed to be filling in our society.
The Oxford dictionary describes or at least defines politics as the art and science of government or activities concerned with the acquisition or exercise of authority or government. The first point I would like to make and attempt to clarify is the fact that when we speak about “church”, “politics” and/or “society”, we tend to refer to these entities in the third person as though we who are referring to them are not part of them.
Church is the people, politics is the people and society is the people! The idea of addressing these entities as some nebulous concept detached from us is, in my opinion erroneous! I am a human being, a son to my biological parents, a brother to my siblings, a husband to my wife and a father to my children and then I am a Pastor of my ministry as ordained by God.
As a human being who ascribes Christianity as the foundational basis of my world view and philosophy of life, I am ordained to be a leader by God who instructs man to “take dominion” over creation. Making us all leaders in one-way or another. I must be frank at this point and make reference to my mixed raceness, my colouredness in our context. With all that I went through during apartheid in both South Africa and Namibia and after my direct confrontation of racism, I have come to the conclusion that prejudice, tribalism and even racism continue to batter my life like the angry unabated waves of the ocean against the rocks. It is this sense of marginalization that forces me to trace my existence and roots way beyond the physical anthropological stigmatization to the spiritual genesis of who I am.
Both science and the Bible inform me that as molecular and physically visible as I am, I was sound before that, and I was light before being sound and I was thought before being light and before thought you and I and everything were spirit. This then brings me to the realization and conclusion that I owe my existence to none other than God who created me.
The sense of socio-political marginalization and the existence of an invisible ceiling because of being “Coloured” or “mixed race” in Namibia in this day and age makes me, together with other like-minded intellectuals who ascribe to the Bible, come to the conclusion that there is no other recourse but to organize all “Coloured” or “mixed race” people in this country into an entity that cannot and will not be ignored just as the Hereros, Namas, Owambos, Afrikaners, Chinese and Damaras etc are doing right before our very eyes.
This is one of a myriad of reasons why I intend to vigorously campaign for the formation of a Coalition of Political Church Leaders. Oh yes, I voted as a resident of Windhoek rural and my vote remains influenced and informed by my revolutionary mileage and credentials.
However, I realize that my kind both racially and religiously are marginalized because of belly politics. Any church leader who does not have a political impact will have missed the plot because Christianity is about the establishment of the Kingdom of God that is in itself a political exercise. What is happening in our country for “Coloureds” is that we are being informed without it being said that we are so useless that we are unable to be a Governor, a Permanent Secretary, an Ambassador, a Deputy Minister, a Minister etc. I do not see the need to grovel and beg to be given a position in Government just because I am “Coloured”.
Oh yes, you must believe me when I say that I have a patriotism to Namibia that is well known and respected in both political and church circles. Why, I even encourage my pastors and congregations to sing the national anthem at the end of a church service. However, when I meditate and look and examine the modus operandi of the political sphere of Namibia, I realize that with all my eccentric patriotism, I belong to a group of people who are socially, politically and economically marginalized.
Forming a Coalition of Political Church Leaders is going to work at developing a socio-political culture that will truly celebrate and utilize the tribal and ethnic diversity of all participants and transcend all prejudices. As a Pan-Africanist I am clear of my political homes in every African nation I come to, but that does not make me blind and stupid not to see that as a “Coloured” in my home country, I am not taken seriously.
Besides being unfair, unrighteous and wicked, it is a devilish state of affairs that is no longer acceptable and calls for a serious response from my people, the “Coloureds”! Someone had the audacity and temerity to inform me the other day that “Coloureds” were not meant to be. As if they are a mistake.
Now if that is the thinking in certain circles, then I believe the time has come to address such rubbish and begin to make it clear to all and sundry that actually we are not a walkover of drunks, hooligans and whores! I am actually wondering why the Colored community is not realizing and responding to the injustice that is being perpetrated against us. I really and truly never ever thought that I would find myself having to speak up as a “Coloured”.
Having to write like this is to me an indictment against our democracy and what the constitution of the Republic of Namibia stands for! My only recourse as a political church leader is to stand on the Word of God, the Bible and to demand equality and full representation for Coloured people in Government.
Coloured people on the other hand have to realize that as a community, leaders need to be identified and they must take responsibility to organize the “Coloured” community so that we are not taken for granted as is currently the case.
The fact of the matter is that all the other races and ethnic groups in this country have clear leaders on both the political and traditional fronts of our society. Being Coloured is not being a sub-culture that is less African than any other African-born group of people, being Coloured is not a disgrace or a mistake, being Coloured does not mean being viewed as stupid and not caring!
Being Coloured is being a human being created in the image of God with aspirations, dreams and ambitions like all other African tribes, races and ethnic groups in Namibia and the African continent at large. It is this state of affairs that now warrants that I as a Coloured church leader should begin to address this matter as Esther in the Bible had to do for her people the Jews.
I am a loyal member of this society and of my political party! I together with many other worthy Coloured leaders need to be respected and recognized nationally in our nation instead of being made to feel like second-class citizens. I also realize that this stance I am taking will not please many people, but honestly, I am quite tired of pleasing people who are happy with me as long as I remain a good “house nigger”! Rubbish!
This is one debate I am prepared to die for so that my children do not despise who they are to the point of urinating on my grave one day because I did nothing when I should have. Yes, to you who have married or have offspring across ethnic and colour lines, your children will one day find themselves at a place they did not expect because they will be viewed as “coloured” and thus be treated as second class. Looking at the political party lists really was depressing because Coloureds have been clearly lost in the maze of it all!
However I must also add that many Coloured people’s world view has been tarnished and contaminated by the racism of apartheid. This is something that the Coloured community cannot deny as it needs to be addressed! It comes from the fact that the custodians of apartheid indoctrinated the mixed race people that they were superior to the Black people, but lower than the White.
Who am I? Am I a drawer of water and a hewer of wood? Am I just the filling in a sandwich? Am I a pen pusher who’s task it is to advance the comforts of the petty bourgeoisie? Who am I? Who are we?
Sssshhhh.... I know your home address
So now I have a database of over 750,000 Namibians with their full names, date of birth and physical addresses. (and you can too).
“A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood.” - Leo Rosten
Reality Bites. No two ways about it. Started this new year with such good intentions and then someone, somewhere does it again.
Must I keep quiet about this (mis)managment of data in our country. You decide...
For the past twenty years, I have made it a hobby to collect databases of every kind on namibia. It started with busienss directories, trade information, consumer records, etc. This has become a substantial dbase with over 11,00 companies and 250,000 consumers. Much to my surprise, I discovered a rather easy way to get access to another 500,000 consumer records that inlcudes their home addresses and dates of birth.
Come on, now is the time to put in place a privacy and data protection laws!
“A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood.” - Leo Rosten
Reality Bites. No two ways about it. Started this new year with such good intentions and then someone, somewhere does it again.
Must I keep quiet about this (mis)managment of data in our country. You decide...
For the past twenty years, I have made it a hobby to collect databases of every kind on namibia. It started with busienss directories, trade information, consumer records, etc. This has become a substantial dbase with over 11,00 companies and 250,000 consumers. Much to my surprise, I discovered a rather easy way to get access to another 500,000 consumer records that inlcudes their home addresses and dates of birth.
Come on, now is the time to put in place a privacy and data protection laws!
Namibia needs a national register
Throughout the world there is a huge amount of resources being spent on research and development which in turn generates vast amounts of information that needs to be managed effectively, and efficiently. The pace of new technologies such as computers, their storage capabilities, and the ability to communicate with one another allows for ever larger quantities of information to be stored and analysed. A national electronic database will allow Namibia to move from a rural based economy to a knowledge based economy and meet its development goals.
Namibia has the aim of creating a successful social market economy. When we look at the recent history after the Second World War, we see the rebuilding of the German economy as one of the economic success stories of the last century. Upon closer examination, the building blocks of the state have included the ability to know the movement of all its residents. For example, when a person moves from one city to another, they have to register themselves at the local “Rathaus” or municipality. When we investigate the ability of the German business to trade with another, and more importantly to provide suppliers credit, we notice the importance of trade registers, both government and privately created.
The creation of a central public register in Namibia would have many benefits for the country. The most important would be the updating of information needed for planning purposes, without having to wait for the ten yearly censuses.
Overview of databases
A database is a collection of data, organised in a computer that allows rapid filtering and sorting of this information. A database is thus an electronic filing system. A Namibian national database will include a collection of varied information about our citizens and businesses. This will allow for a one-stop information base or storage facility for government ministries, State-owned Enterprises, municipalities and local districts. It will also allow access to the business community, both local and internationally, who require any information on Namibia.
A closer look at how information is organised, stored, retrieved and managed in Namibia shows that Namibia as a nation has not strategically made any effort to have a central database system which will function by gathering data from all sectors of the economy and managing the data in such a way that it becomes accessible to all for the purpose of delivering an efficient government and business function.
Benefits of database
The overwhelming benefit is that it will instantly be clear which sector is non-performing, and allow corrective measure to be taken to achieve Vision 2030.
Another benefit is that it can also reduce corruption; ensure greater transparency and good governance. As we begin to benchmark the advanced countries in their development efforts, one thing that has helped their economies is a national database and the lower levels of corruption can be attributed to the institution of a database that is accessible everywhere in their countries. As a result the performance of one's activity becomes a check on one another and there is no doubt that this makes people less corrupt and become more transparent.
In addition, the creation of a national register will mean that the registration of voters will be a continuous process as part of the management of services to our citizens. Thus we will save large amounts of money presently being spent on voters’ registration, as well costly exercises in verification.
Namibia has the aim of creating a successful social market economy. When we look at the recent history after the Second World War, we see the rebuilding of the German economy as one of the economic success stories of the last century. Upon closer examination, the building blocks of the state have included the ability to know the movement of all its residents. For example, when a person moves from one city to another, they have to register themselves at the local “Rathaus” or municipality. When we investigate the ability of the German business to trade with another, and more importantly to provide suppliers credit, we notice the importance of trade registers, both government and privately created.
The creation of a central public register in Namibia would have many benefits for the country. The most important would be the updating of information needed for planning purposes, without having to wait for the ten yearly censuses.
Overview of databases
A database is a collection of data, organised in a computer that allows rapid filtering and sorting of this information. A database is thus an electronic filing system. A Namibian national database will include a collection of varied information about our citizens and businesses. This will allow for a one-stop information base or storage facility for government ministries, State-owned Enterprises, municipalities and local districts. It will also allow access to the business community, both local and internationally, who require any information on Namibia.
A closer look at how information is organised, stored, retrieved and managed in Namibia shows that Namibia as a nation has not strategically made any effort to have a central database system which will function by gathering data from all sectors of the economy and managing the data in such a way that it becomes accessible to all for the purpose of delivering an efficient government and business function.
Benefits of database
The overwhelming benefit is that it will instantly be clear which sector is non-performing, and allow corrective measure to be taken to achieve Vision 2030.
Another benefit is that it can also reduce corruption; ensure greater transparency and good governance. As we begin to benchmark the advanced countries in their development efforts, one thing that has helped their economies is a national database and the lower levels of corruption can be attributed to the institution of a database that is accessible everywhere in their countries. As a result the performance of one's activity becomes a check on one another and there is no doubt that this makes people less corrupt and become more transparent.
In addition, the creation of a national register will mean that the registration of voters will be a continuous process as part of the management of services to our citizens. Thus we will save large amounts of money presently being spent on voters’ registration, as well costly exercises in verification.
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