Making A Better World - Milton Louw

The Consumer News Namibia Magazine prides itself on providing information to the people of Namibia as a free (and freely available) monthly magazine. In our magazine we highlight many issues of interest that affect the daily lives of our readers.  In short, we talk about the needs of the people in the “Land of the Brave”. In the following piece, we explore what are these needs and the rights that go with us being able to fulfil these needs. The Need for Subsistence Need:                 Subsistence Qualities:           physical and mental health Description:       Every person has the right to basic goods and services which guarantee survival. This includes access to food, water, electricity, telephone, Internet and affordable housing. The state has to ensure the relative stable state of balance between all the di...

Due to freedom of testation you can basically say anything you like in your Will.  Your last “Will and Testament” is a contract It is the duty of an executor to make funeral arrangements. Do signing powers and power of attorney lapse at death? Does interest on investments and debt cease at death? Do contracts and lawsuits lapse at death? Does the executor summarily sell all estate assets? Does everyone have a right to inherit? Most of us are afraid of dying. In our society many people still consider it taboo to discuss issues surrounding their death. However, it is an important part of money management (financial literacy) to be aware of the issues of dying, wills and testaments. Some of the most commonly beliefs are: ·          If you die without a valid Will, your assets are automatically forfeited to the State. ·          Everyone has a right to inherit from a parent. ·  ...

Recently the taxi drivers in Namibia have threatened a strike because of the high cost of fines being paid for traffic violation. One of the most common is where the taxi driver stands at an illegal area such as a red or yellow lined street corner or sometime right in the middle of the street. During the interview on television, one of the taxi drivers rightly pointed out that this is often the fault of the passenger who stands at such places. Furthermore, the taxi driver stated that if he does not pick up the passenger (or does not drop them where they say), another taxi will so he is forced to do so if he wants to earn a living. This is unfortunately so. We as the consumers of this public taxi service are often to blame as we do not consider the obligations or rules of the road. Often the passenger in a taxi will comment how badly other taxi drivers are stopping or hindering the flow of traffic, but when it is their turn to disembark, they do exactly what the previous passenger ...

What does this mean for as consumers of the Government of the Republic of Namibia? STANDARDS INFORMATION COURTESY AND HELPFULNESS CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION ACCOUNTABILITY TRANSPARENCY NON-DISCRIMINATION QUALITY OF SERIVCE VALUE FOR MONEY ACCESSIBILITY In Namibia, the Government is one of the biggest single employers and provides services in all sectors of the economy.  Thus it is an important service provider and according to President Hifikepunye Pohamba, "there is a growing international trend for governments, in both developed and developing countries, to focus on the need to provide greater value for money in the delivery of public services. This has led to greater awareness that public services must improve the quality of the service being rendered to the customers: citizens, tourists and visiting businessmen and women. For Namibia to realise Vision 2030, we must "walk to talk" and sharpen our commitment to improve the quality of services deliv...

During the past few weeks there have been articles in newspapers about GMO’s and the various protests staged around the world against the company Monsanto which manufactures GMO’s. A number of consumers contacted the Consumer News Namibia Magazine to find out more about the issue. Are GMO’s safe? Are GMOs labeled? What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment? How do GMOs affect farmers? Namibia is planning on testing for GMO’s GMO’s, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. Most commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide (weedkillers) or to produce an insecticide (to kill insects that eat them). Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield...

Many people complain about banks’ customer service especially during the payday of the 20 th , 25 th and end of the month. This is something which is easy to pick up as a consumer because we are physically experiencing the frustration of standing in a queue.  However there is another problem that we do not often notice but that is costing you money. This problem is the one of bank charges. Sometimes the bank charges us and we complain but not very often we do not actually realise that the bank charges were incorrectly calculated. Recently a consumer complained about a bank mistake that cost him more money than expected. “I have been a customer of a certain bank for over twenty years and generally consider their service to be the best of all the banks in the country. Recently however, I had to re-evaluate my opinion. By chance I had been asked to provide a copy of my bank statements of the past six months for a business deal I wished to conclude. Upon glancing through the ...

(Because the original page is no longer available online:  http://prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm )   The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of  Mother Teresa's  home for children in  Calcutta, India,  and are widely attributed to her.  Some sources say that the words below were written on the wall in  Mother Teresa's  own room.  In any case, their association with  Mother Teresa  and the  Missionaries of Charity  has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives.  They seem to be based on a composition originally by  Kent Keith,  but much of the second half has been re-written in a more spiritual way.  Both versions are shown below. ___________________________________________ 1. The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:       ...