Netman has missed Henties

I would like to focus you and your readers’ attention on an untenable situation here in Henties Bay. I, and I am not alone, suffer because Mtc’s pre-paid Netman is not working. I see that the ‘signal’ is very weak and it seems to me, as layman that the E-mail service is heavily congested and a ‘helping hand’ not existing – not at these times! If I want to send E-mails it is not possible during the day, I have to get up a few times in the night, trying at midnight, at 3 and at 5 o’clock sometimes helps, sometimes not.  The Netman of Mtc turned into a highly frustrating nightmare! It is just becoming another ‘government owned service institution’ – all of them in a constant state of disability, as we all know.
Our country switches off during the festive season – every Namibian knows that only the tourism industry is working. Not much ‘goes’ in terms of work elsewhere, and service delivery does not exist, or so it seems. However, should essential services not at least, be on stand-by mode? Surely, IT is indispensable for all of us, especially the hard-working tourism industry. Another thought is, that the highly important IT sector should be cut off from government; the IT industry has to be fully privatised to be well functioning and competitive. State owned agencies fail us – and the main shares of Mtc, Telecom and now also the previously independent Leo is ‘owned’ by our state. To call this a ‘free’ economy-situation is a sad joke!
As reputable organisations openly say, the corruption in our government is our worst enemy today. And because the IT sector is factually government-owned, we can safely assume that it is already infected with this deadly disease. Business aims got out of focus and the attitude, that ‘nobody will ever be able to touch us’ is merrily entertained, as clearly seen by many of us. Prices of the service are still too high, delivery erratic and especially the private customer cannot afford to make use of all the possibilities offered just because of this. Also, the understanding of what a government and its agencies should do, should deliver or not is corrupted, seeking huge profits by a government is corruption per se. Therefore, the results of this thinking – now the results of Mtc  at Henties Bay and very probably also ‘elsewhere’ in our country – are seen, heard and felt by all who are not disabled as seriously disappointing.
I demand that the minister responsible for IT investigates Mtc, Telecom and Leo because I feel these entities conspire against the Namibian citizen; they are part of a nicely veiled, but really true cartel, which harms us all in many ways!
Our opposition parties have to be part of the investigation team; nothing will come from it without them.
P. Rudolf
Henties Bay