WINDHOEK – The Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (MICT) Joel Kaapanda reiterated the call for Namibians to take pride in their country, to be patriotic and to work together in the spirit of solidarity.
Kaapanda made this call in reference to the deplorable conditions in small rural towns where filth and decay overshadow the beautiful scenery. “You see empty bottles, plastic bags and car wreckages littering the small towns,” he said, adding that it was a reflection of a lack of love for their towns. Kaapanda said if people are proud of their towns they would feel obliged to clean them in order to improve their own living conditions. “Managers of towns must clean up,” he urged, asking why town councils were not employing youths to take garbage to dumping sites. Kaapanda said plastic and papers were scattered all over towns and get stuck in trees, since there are no proper dumping sites.
“Who would want to invest in a dirty town? We want tourists to visit our towns,” he added. He aslso called on managers in local authorities to pull up their socks and to make sure the environment is clean to avoid cholera and other diseases. Using a quote from former US President JF Kennedy he said citizens should promote the philosophy of “Ask what you can do for you country and not what your country can do for you,” to create a conducive environment for healthy living.
By Magreth Nunuhe