consumer news february 2011 issue

8/7/2019 Consumer News February 2011 Issue

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CONSUMERNEWS

Y O U R V O I C E

FEBRUARY 2011FREE

w w w . c o n s u m e r n e w s n a m i b i a . c o mISSN: 2026-710X

Recycled

chicken

Escalatingfoodprices

INTECinvestigated


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Please contact your nearest Teleshop or call us now toll free on 1100

or SMS magic box to 060123Terms and conditions apply

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Fixed Broadband


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The Team

Publisher

Consumer News

Printed by

John Meinert Printing

Design & Layout

Shapwa Hashali

E-mail: [email protected]

Editor

Victoria Kangombe


Cell: 081 236 0803

Journalists

Louis Maruwasa


Rob Parker

[email protected]

Denver Isaacs


Business Development Manager

Jacques Nieman


Cell: 081 203 7180

Advertising Sales Executive

Tabeth Nyahasha


Cell: 081 409 3448

Consumer News

PO Box 96366

Windhoek, NamibiaTel/Fax: +264 61 228 196

Enquiries

[email protected]

Editors Note

CONSUMERNEWS

You deserve more ...

Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if

everyone is for it. William Penn

Namibia Consumer Protection Group: Milton Louw. E-mail: [email protected]

Namibia Customer Service Institute: Jon Allen. E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.namibiacsi.com

Namibian Consumer Lobby: Bob Ziekenoppasser. Tel: 064-461 461 or 081 284 8000

Namibian Standards Institution: Tel: 061-386 400 / Queries: [email protected]

Website: www.nsi.com.na

Contact details

You deserve more ...

Our mission is to create a platform for you the Namibian consumer, who strives to see

improvement in the value of goods and services and are savvy enough to spot misleading

advertising and poor quality products and services. You deserve more, and together we

have power in numbers, so we welcome your contributions, feedback, acknowledgements

and your voice on products and services that need our investigation.

Here we are, two months into the year and people still nd itappropriate to say complements of the New Year. Really now, is

it ok to wish someone Happy birthday six months after it actually

happened?

Anyway, we are two months into the year and already were

being bombarded with news of rising food and commodity prices,

taxi drivers striking because of an exorbitant rise in trafc nes, and

yet another increase in the number of matriculants that failed their

nal-year exam last year. It seems the economists were right; just

when we were being sceptical about their predictions.

Oh well, everybody is allowed a moment of cynicism,

especially if youre part of the Consumer News team where youll

realise that as consumers in Namibia, we do not get the recognitionwe deserve. For this issue, we investigated a claim by Henties Bay

residents about insurance providers refusing to make any further

payouts for electrical appliances that have been destroyed by

frequent power failures in the small town.

We followed-up on a claim by a father and daughter who

seemed to have been swindled out of their money and expectations

by controversial distance learning college INTEC. For those of

you that were taken by the story of recycled chicken being stocked

in South Africas Pick n Pay stores, we thought it wise to nd out

whether it is also the case here...you would want to turn the pages to

nd out what we discovered.

You will notice that we have introduced a few changes andsections; we hope you enjoy the changes we have brought about and

are looking forward to more. Happy reading folks.

Viki

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contentsFeature

The rising cost o ood prices

By Rob Parker

Editorial

Supremes nightmare chicken

By Louis Maruwasa

Efciency in the hospitality industry

By A. T. Software Engineering

Criminalising innovation

By Victoria Kangombe

INTEC investigated

By Rob Parker

Am I insured

By Denver Isaacs

NSI Metrology Department up and running

By Namibia Standards Institute

Entertainment

Valentines, here we go again

By Rob Parker and Victoria Kangombe

Sports

New appointment at NRU

table of

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07

09

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I write to inform you and to seek your advice on the way I was

treated by the Area Manager of Lewis Store on Independence

Avenue.

I bought a sitting room suite from Lewis around the

months of November/December 2009. I used it for about two

months before the set started peeling and looking like it was

used for more than 5 years. I complained and in February 2010I was able to get another set same type but new. I used this set

for another two months and it started peeling and looking old

just like the other one. In May 2010 I went back and informed

them about the problem, someone came to analyse the situation

and I was informed that they will send a complaint to the factory

and they will let me know.

Since May, I have been contacting the store and nothing

was done and most of the time I was informed that the person

who helped me was no longer there and that I must give the story

to the new person. This went on until September 2010. At this

point I was very upset and I went to the store again and informed

the manager that I am really disappointed and that I really

needed them to do something. The manager, a very friendly

lady, apologised to me and informed me that she will make sure

that the set is picked up the same day as there were people who

worked there who know my case and who agreed with me.

The set was picked up and two days later I was informed

that I must go to the shop to pick up another set. I went to the

shop and unfortunately for me I could not nd something that I

liked. I was also informed by the manager who helped me that

day that I must wait till end of October as they were expecting

new stock. I went out of town and when I came back, around the

26th of November I went to the shop, that day I was told that no

pick up authority was received from the manufacturer and that

someone will call me on 01 December 2010. The person thencalled me on 02 December 2010 and told me they will not accept

my complaint. I went to the shop to seek clarity only to be told

that this is the instruction from the Area Managers. I demanded

to see the Area Manager who I was told gave the instruction. The

Area Manager, a very rude fellow, eventually spoke to me after

I waited for 30 minutes.

This man told me he was doing me a favour so I should

apparently just take another set that looked just the same as my

old set. When I informed him that I wanted value for money and

that I will not take the same set because even the one he is offering

me was brought back by a customer who was not satised, he

refuse to do anything. Speaking to me in a disrespectful manner,he then warned me that if I dont accept the set he is offering

me, he will process it as a repossessed item and it will be listed

against my name at ITC. I seek your advice in the matter because

I feel I do not have a choice but to accept the inferior good or get

my name listed. What right do I have as a consumer?

The area managers spoke to me in a way I can not speak to

another person.

I look forward to hear from you

Sincerely

W. Shivute

First of all let me congratulate all of you with the magazine

Consumer News; always interesting. I think it contributes

to making consumers more aware of our rights and maybe

obligations to be more alert when shopping. Good luck for the

New Year.

My question: Why do eggs not have a sell-by-date?

Often you are in the middle of baking and get the unpleasant

surprise of stale and old eggs. So many people complain about

that. Maybe Consumer News can tackle that issue.

Furthermore I would suggest at least a minimum of

training for shop assistants - e.g. packers. Why are they not told

- You do not put the big bottle of vinegar - or bag of sugar - ontop of the grapes /tomatoes.

Small things but they can make such a lot of difference

- groceries are getting more and more expensive these days.

Swakopmund can also do with an inspection from your team -

many a rotten apple amongst the others etc.

Keep up the good work.

Kind regards

Waltraut

Ive read the article on Woermann Brock in Decembers issue and

would like to add that for many times Ive seen expired cheesesand in very bad conditions at Woermann Klein Windhoek.

There was a roll of pecorino cheeses that were in the

worst condition that a supermarket would possibly offer to its

customers especially with the prices that Woerman offers.

When will someone do something about it!? For me,

Woermann is only to buy cans and packs of pasta, but still

checking the expiring dates!

Thanks for your article!

Carolina Medeiros

Letters to the editor, with the writers name, should

be emailed to [email protected]

Letters may be edited for reasons of space and clarity

l e t t e r s

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What is behind the rising costs and what can be done about

it? There are several reasons for the skyrocketing cost of

food.The rise of global powerhouses China and India

contribute to rising prices of food as their populations are

gaining purchasing power and increase demand.

Primary among these reasons is the use of bio fuels such as

ethanol. Ethanol is an additive which is added to gasoline

to make it burn more cleanly and reduce emissions. What

we are doing in this case is burning food rather than using

it to feed people.

Actually it is worse than that. Farmers are being

subsidised to grow food for fuel, articially inating the

price of the food people actually eat. Increased demand,spurred by bio fuel production, also insures an increase in

the price of inputs such as land, seed and fertilizer, which

are, eventually passed on to the consumer.

This practice of blending ethanol with petrol does

nothing for the environment as claimed because at least

The

risingcosts

offood

By Rob Parker


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f e a t u r e

as much energy is used growing, harvesting, transporting,

and converting the food into fuel. It is a political decision

that may make sense in the lobbyist ofces of behemoths

such as Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland.

The decision to burn food and subsidise farmers to

grow food instead is a political decision, an articial market

that only exists, and can only exist, because of a political

boondoggle. Easy lobbyist money and a politically popular

move to ensure farmers, who are a critical constituency for

many politicos, provide the rationale for this system.

When the price of staples such as corn, soy and wheat rise,

almost everything else in the aisle rises accordingly as

corn is an ingredient in a myriad of items including cattle

feed and breakfast cereal.

Another reason for the spike in prices is commodity

speculation. This is a matter of betting on whether food

prices will rise or fall. Essentially betting on whether

people will be able to afford food or not, which is a slimy

enough activity.

These are however not merely passive observersspeculating on whether the price will rise because when

you get a large number of people buying and selling

(speculating on whether the price will rise or fall), they

actually inuence the price. This often causes it to spike

beyond all semblance of supply and demand, skews

the market and ensures that some people go hungry.

Essentially, as a commodity speculator, you are gambling

on how many of your fellow human beings starve and are

attempting to prot as much as possible from this action.

A commodity speculator is essentially a parasite,

he does not create, grow or invent, he adds no value,nishes no product, yet makes more money than doctors,

lawyers and engineers. It is time to tax these people. It is

only the unholy grip that Wall Street has on Washington

that prevents initiatives such as the Tobin tax from being

introduced; that would reign in all of this destructive

capital.

Governments around the world are trying to

grapple with this issue and most are unable to do much

about it as the crisis is global. Governments have already

fallen due to the crisis such as Tunisia and now possibly the

Mubarak government in Egypt. In Namibia, some pricesare offset due to V.A.T exemptions and the special pricing

formula of maize meal. Longer term remedies include the

green scheme and efforts to support domestic agriculture.

As prices rise, the state may nd that further action needs

to be taken.

As an individual there is no magic solution to

combating these increasing costs to your household

but there are some things that can be done. One

is to buy local and support Namibian producers

which helps us all in the long-run. Other solutionsmay include bartering with people in your

community or starting a backyard garden. Here is

an example of how to grow potatoes in old tires in

your backyard.

Here is what you need to

do:1. Lay out your tyres.

Create some drainage.

The article suggested

digging up the soil to create

drainage. Since the soil

where I laid the tyres is rockhard clay, I put some stone

and broken block pieces in

to create drainage.

2. Put in some dirt and

growing material.

I covered the drainage

material with compost soil,

and then lled the rest with

leaves. Be sure to stuff the

soil into the sides. You can

use soil, leaves, or partially

rotten sawdust. You can

also use a little of all three.

3. Get the potatoes ready.

Youll want to use seed

potatoes, not just some

that youve had too long

in your cupboard. Seems

the potatoes you buy to eat

have been treated to not

grow. Those that do startgrowing will not do well.

Cut them in pieces so that

each piece has two eyes in

it.

4. Plant them.

Put three or four potato

pieces in each tyre, and

cover with planting

material.

5. Water

6. Wait. Next, I waited for

the plants to be about 20 cm

tall. Then I added another

tyre, and enough dirt,

leaves, or sawdust to cover

all but ve or seven cm

of the plant. The process

will be repeated until there

are four tyres stacked. Toharvest, simply remove one

tyre at a time, and remove

the potatoes. A four tyre

stack is expected to yield

about 11 kg of potatoes.

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The hospitality industry is undoubtedly one of the

biggest contributors to the Namibian economy.

Each year thousands of tourists, both foreign and

domestic, book into hotels, guesthouses and lodges

all across the country. This has an obvious effect on

the efciency of any given business in the hospitality

industry, especially during peak season when many

guests request for accomodation.Most visitors do their bookings well in

advance, often six months to a year to avoid

disappointment. This leaves businesses with a

mammoth task of recording, storing and keeping such

records, especially because many of these businesses

carry out such operations manually.

When there are changes to be made to the

booking, the person who had recorded the booking

will have to go back to the record and make the

necessary changes, manually calculate the new rates,and update the booking. There is no doubt that this

process is very inefcient and time-consuming. This

has led to extra charges being levied on changes done

to bookings in order to make up for the time lost while

amending the booking. This is very costly for both the

guests and the businesses.

Another area of concern is bookings done in

groups such as workshops, church groups, school

tours and corporate outings. These types of bookings

do not allow for very detailed information because

such records capture only the number of people, how

long they will stay and how many rooms are needed.

This may sound like adequate information.

Not having details on individual persons may however

pose a problem. For instance, there is no way to

tell whether the people booked to take up a certain

space will indeed need to make use of such spaces.

Also, corruption is very rife in group bookings done

manually because often the people will nd alternative

accommodation and pocket the money intended for

the bookings into a lodge or hotel.A recent example of this is the case of the

former employees of the national broadcaster who

were sent on an assignment and given money to book

into a lodge. Instead, they stayed with family and

friends and faked invoices for accommodation at a

lodge. The hospitality industry and the company that

sent these folks on the assignment have both lost out

as a result. Although rare, receptionists and booking

agents may be tempted to fall for kickbacks in order to

make a quick buck by forging and amending invoices

as well. In short, strict measures are needed to curb

corruption and kick-backs in the hospitality industrywhen it comes to group bookings.

What the industry needs is an automated

solution for bookings, reports generation and

invoicing. Such a solution is effective and efcient,

cost and time saving, and roots out possible corruption.

The answer to the problems identied above

is a semi-automated system that makes it easy to nd

available rooms and dates as well as to keep records

and generate reports and invoicing. In addition to that,

some of these systems have a full accounting systemthat will add up all the totals and generate reports on

these as well.

These systems will reduce the workload

surrounding the booking process tremendously

because it makes it easier to nd free rooms and

dates as well as to amend bookings and generate

invoices. All this can be done while every action is

being recorded for record-keeping purposes in the

accounting section. This will allow the business

owners, auditors and analysts to have a clear picture

of what is going on in the business during a given

time.

Such solutions offer both the customer and

the business an efcient means of booking for short-

term accommodation because the customer can check

online to see if there are available booking options

and send a request for booking. In the same breath,

the business will be able to check which rooms are

available and receive an alert as soon as the rooms

are available in real time. Such systems should be

considered a welcome relief to individuals as wellas corporate entities that send people to individually

book for accommodation when on assignment.

Vaino Tuhafeni Hangula is a Marketing and Sales

Consultant for A. T. Software Engineering.

Efciencyin the

hospitality industry

e d i t o r i a l

By Vaino Tuhafeni Hangula

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One can tell a lot about a society by the type of

criminals that come out of it and, of course (or perhaps

consequently), by what is criminalised. After observing

and entertaining this realisation, one gets to a point where

you are not sure whether to point ngers at how the lawis applied, at the police ofcer, at the criminal for not

seeking other means of survival, or at the government for

not making available the said other means.

Please note that by virtue, there is only one thing

that is certain about the law and its applications: the fact

that nothing is certain. Much, if not all, is apparently black

and white in the eyes of the law; no gray areas. We should

therefore not be surprised when a person who clearly

cannot afford their existence in a capitalist world is ned

for trying to feed their family. Legitimately.

The axiom on the mutability of the law was passedonto me by my Criminology lecturer a few years ago

during a lecture on The Law in Capitalism. Directing us

to www.capitalism.org, my lecturer noted: Governments

job is to protect rights... every man lives under a rule of

law, as opposed to a whim-ridden rule of men. Under such

a rule of law, all laws have only one purpose: to protect

the rights of the smallest minority that has ever existed

the individual. Is that the case with, among others,

Regulation 22 of the Street and Trafc Regulations?

At the time, it all sounded too idealistic. It did

not make sense to me until I graduated into the worldof monthly bills, taxes, and a newspaper report on an

unemployed pregnant woman who was ned N$2 800 for

stealing baby clothes worth N$282.

As do so many people, I blame it on the system.

The thing with the social system employed in Namibia,

contrary to popular belief, is that it does not necessarily

accommodate innovation, individuality and atypical

vocations; we are expected to follow where the path

may lead as it is apparently the only path to comfort and

success. If then you cannot follow the path and choose to

be innovative, you are forced into becoming a criminal

just to survive.

Take the education system for example, most of it

accommodates individuals who are academically inclined

and places those who thrive in vocational training at the

periphery. I am not disputing the fact that Vocational

Training Centres (VTCs) produce productive citizens,

what I am saying is that these guys hardly get the same

recognition as someone who scraped through their degree

from the University of Namibia. What I am pushing at

here is: If you cannot nd a job with your woodwork

qualication, what do you do?

Our education system has, without a doubt reared

brilliant individuals, but it also seduces multitudes of

talented youth into professions that are known for their

easy and abundantly owing nancial rewards while

avoiding those that require much greater raw intellectualcapacity like legitimate entrepreneurship. What is worse,

very early in their lives, our talented youth come to realise

that elds that improve the lives of others may not make

them rich, but moving money/goods from here to there

will.

We are not tackling the education system in this piece

however; we will be looking at how the law is applied

to apparently protect the rights of the minority. Consider

the Criminal Justice System (CJS; what praises can

you condently sing regarding Namibias CJS? What

can be said about our rehabilitation and reintegrationprogrammes?

Martin Gross, author of The Conspiracy of

Ignorance and The Government Racket: Washington Waste

from A to Z, once commented: ...laws are written by men

with considerable net worth, and with little understanding

of what wage-earners must do to make ends meet.

This is illustrated by recent newspaper articles

on car washers in the CBD being arrested for (apart from

spoiling the Citys denition of aesthetics) doing just

a quarter of the damage that car washing businesses in

Greenwell Matongos Eveline Street are doing on a dailybasis Monday through Sunday. Another newspaper

reported on a Zimbabwean female breadwinner for

a family of six who was sentenced to a year for selling

catapults without a business permit (please note wooden-

face expression). An alternative to the sentence was a ne

payment of N$2000 ne. She makes N$1500 a month.

These actions awoke a latent wave of anger and

dissatisfaction with the establishment throughout the

Namibian nation as it either directly affects them or they

view it as a pending occurrence in their own lives. Either

way, it has made many aware of what the role of law

actually is in our social system: steel chains for the poor,

spider webs for the rich and shing nets in the hands of the

criminal justice system. This implies that the poorer one is

the greater the impact of social exclusion. What I mean by

this is that the lower one stands in socio-economic class,

o p i n i o n

By Victoria Kangombe

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the farther one is pushed to the periphery, if not off the

edge.

So, what am I on about?

There is a less obvious aspect of our system that

I came to learn of recently: one nds that a stock broker

and a relatively junior retirement fund manager makes

a great deal more money in her career than would Peter

Arndt from Otjiwarongo who invented the OtjiToilet, an

invention that could drastically improve the lives of not

only Namibians, but millions of people around the world.

Take it as an idealistic way of thinking on my part, but

ponder upon the thought either way.

We have come to learn that a substantial

number of last years matriculants have not done so well

academically and are likely to nd themselves roaming the

streets, implying yet more growth in the unemployment

rate. With so many unemployed people in the country,

we still do not see broad-

based improvements that

could lure investors intoour midst; an action that

is clearly not in favour of

those whose rights are of

great importance to the

government.

To ice the cake,

the local media reports that

Namibia is doing quite well

with regards to investors

pouring money into the

country. Quite well? Arewe? Or is this a fact just

because Namibia is the

third largest producer of

uranium in the world? Can

someone tell me what that

means for the guy who leads

a hand-to-mouth life on the

outskirts of Windhoek?

No were not

doing well. Not when we

have our innovators andatypical entrepreneurs being underfunded, if at all, when

they request for assistance in advancing their inventions.

Those that do get funding are required to sign away their

intellectual property to a more educated individual or an

institution that has the capacity to further the creation.

How is it we have a government that makes

provision in its budget for formal and informal educational-

and community development programmes but it still

arrests the people for whom it made these provisions for?

Im really upset here because the current system does

not offer other alternatives for a means of survival but

to become a criminal. Soon, being a street kid will be

criminalised vagrancy.

Whats sad is that these innovators and atypical

entrepreneurs are being arrested and lling prisons for

trying to make ends meet. Even sadder, we are all assisting

government in offering these particular capital collective

creatives a hand-to-mouth livelihood in prison.

We need those guys to wash our cars while we

queue up to ll the assets management rms coffers.

We need someone to sell catapults and vetkoek at the

construction site around the corner. We need more people

like Peter Arndt to device means of reducing lower-

income households monthly expenses and risks of falling

ill. We need more people who build value not a bunch of

speculators who make money regardless of whether value

gets created or destroyed. We especially need lawmakers

that recognise the value that these people bring to the table

and innovative leadership that works to incorporate those

on the periphery into the mainstream.

Our leaderships actions conjures up questions

on what democracy actually is, who the actions outlined

in Vision 2030 actually include, why one even bothers

queuing to vote, when a

social reform is going to

happen, and whether oneshould even bother asking

such questions.

To the latter, I respond:

if you do not question, you

will not learn. If you are

not learning, you are not

living. What would be the

point right? The core of this

piece is to, if not initiate

the social reform, mobilise

a group of people who arehungry for change; people

who are inspired by the

work of individuals such

as Mohamed Yunus who

started the Grameen Bank.

It is not to offer a

solution; that is beyond

me. One of my colleagues

did however suggest that

a trust fund be opened for

those who bear the burdenof social exclusion: street vendors, car washers, you name

them.

These incidences are not conned to Namibia; such cases

have been reported elsewhere in Africa, the most recent

being in Tunisia where a fruit and vegetables vendor set

himself on re in deance of law enforcers order for him

to be arrested. (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/

world/africa/22sidi.html?_r=1 ).

The manner in which the law is applied in Namibia

is a thorn in the side because creative people with dreams

are running out of ways to survive legitimately. I really

hope I am off track here and someone will comment to

prove me wrong! Please join the discussion on www.

consumernewsnamibia.com. Our forum needs your voice

and our nation needs your enthusiasm. Log on now.

He may not afford the cheapest daily newspaper

but knows of the rise in food prices and

understands clearly what the petrol price

increase means for his future. He doesnt need

an economist to tell him that; every morning is a

reminder, to himself, of his social class.

News headlines dont bother him much

though; he is concerned about the unemployed

youth roaming the streets. To him it means more

Patrolling City Police ofcers forcing him tocede the most accessible and relatively legal

means of feeding his family.

This places him at a crossroads:

Perhaps I should pay my old friends a visit;

its quick and easy cash. Ill be more careful

this time; my reputation can do without another

stroke on my criminal record. Eish! But my wifes

pregnant again...what if I get caught again...?

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INVITATION

Corporate

fun day

We look forward to meeting you on 31stMarch 2011. In the meantime, please donot hesitate to contact either:

Tabeth Nyahasha (081 409 3448) orJacques Nieman (081 203 7180) for anyfurther information.

We take pleasure in inviting you to ourrst annual corporate fun day which

takes place at the Windhoek CountryClub Resort and Casino.

The day offers the perfect platform for

networking with the rest of the businessfraternity coupled with some soothing

greens and is followed by a tasteful livejazz performance and music during

the evening. To optimise on yournetworking evening we will spoil youwith a hearty and relaxing braai no

expense spared! The marketingmanagers and decision makers

from the biggestNamibian rmswill be present to celebrate and

interact withyour company

ConsumerNews providescitizens across Namibiawith a voice to address importantconsumer-related issues. Our new section,Business Watch, launching in March, will focus on nancialnews and economic trends with a focus on Namibian entrepreneurs.

The golf course is reserved between 07:30am and 17:00pm. Upon yourarrival and until 10am, tea, coffe, juice and mufns will be served and a lightlunch awaits every player at the halfway stop. Play will be followed by ourearly-evening prize presentation for the lowest team score and eveningentertainment.

Every team member will be handed a complimentary goodie bag.

The entry form can be downloaded from www.consumernewsnamibia.com,please feel free to copy these for your playing partners and dinner guests.

GOLF


16/28CN

e d i t o r i a l

In October I received a letter from Mr Nico Smith, aresident of Windhoek, whose daughter had enrolled at

Intec College for distance learning courses. They paid

their fee in full and were told that the study materials

for the course would appear in one week. Those

materials, despite being paid for have never arrived

even until this day.

After waiting for months for the promised

material, Mr Smith got tired of being given excuse

after excuse for non-performance. He decided to ask

for a refund. Mr Slatter, who is the Business Manager

of Intec, replied on October 20th via an email I was

copied in to that the materials will arrive in 24-48

hours. Over 1100 hours have since passed and this

also did not happen. I was contacted again in January

by Mr Smith and I went to speak with him.He told me that his daughter, Rene, has

phoned and visited the Intec branch in Windhoek time

and again but did not receive the required assistance.

She phoned so often and was so diligent that the staff

at Intec would pick up the phone and just sit it on

the counter while she was on the line. We applaud

consumers like Rene who do not take these things

lying down and pursued her refund which was, and is

still, being wrongfully denied to her.

Mr Smith was, understandably, upset and

made the point that while he and his daughter could

afford such a school, many Namibian families would

indeed have to sacrice very much to pay the tuition at

a school like Intec. What happens when their money

By Rob Parker

intecsucks.com?

> >

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is taken? Do they have the skills and patience or even

the time to have a 6 month period of correspondence

with Intec to get their money back?

I did my own research on Intec and found that,

by no means, was this an isolated incident. There are

literally over a thousand similar complaints against this

school. The message board at sites such as hellopeter.

com were jammed with students complaining about a

lack of service and accountability. One enterprising

and obviously very displeased individual went to the

extent of creating a website intecsucks.co.za which

details the travails of hundreds of angry students

unable to get their course material or refunds.

The school seems to manage to collect money

though, all payments made to them clear in a few

days, and they also seem to nd the time to take out

full page colour advertisements in the Namibian and

other newspapers here. So what is the problem?

I went to the Windhoek branch, which happensto be in the same building as Consumer News. I was

helped by staff there, they said they were aware of

Renes situation but could not comment to the media

and I was given the contact number of Fanus Potgieter

in South Africa. I contacted Mr Potgieter and asked

him if he could assist me in retrieving the monies

owed to the Smith family. I was, like others assured

that this would happen. I called a few times after that

and my calls were not returned.

A few days later however, Dale Chaplin fromIntec contacted me and informed me that a refund was

in the works for Rene. I told him that I will wait a few

days before writing this story in the hopes that I would

have a happier tale to tell and that I would not have to

tip-toe past the Intec ofce on my way to work. A few

more days passed and I received this email explaining

Intecs side of the story and informing me that Rene

has been refunded.

Hi Rob,

Please nd attached the Proof of Refund for R. Tromp

(daughter of Nico Smith)

Thank you for allowing INTEC the opportunity to

respond to the student complaint regarding the late

delivery of study guides. INTEC has been offering

quality education for over 100 years to students

nationally and internationally and is committed to

continue offering a quality world-class service to our

students.

The short-term late delivery of study material is due

to the following reasons:1. The exceptionally high volume of student

registrations in 2010 peak enrolment period had

far exceeded our growth projections for that period

(based on previous trends). This then created a

backlog to supply study material to our students in the

busiest time of our business which is January to June

of every year. In light of this, we have been running

urgent interventions which are dependent on third

party involvement, outgoing calls and sms campaigns

to inform students of the backlog and to help identify

the students that are experiencing the late delivery

of study material. This will enable us to service them

according.

2. We migrated our Stock Management System at the

end of 2009 which subsequently malfunctioned in our

busy season. As a result, our Learner Management

System would indicate that the study material had been

dispatched only to discover that certain students did

not receive their material. Most of the IT issues have

been addressed and INTEC has now set themselves up

for the New Year and its student intake and have new

in-house systems in place to ensure smooth delivery

of all study material for new enrolments.The Student Support Call Centre number is

0860313131 or they can email us on

[email protected]

INTEC will ensure that no student who receives

their study material late due to the backlog will be

disadvantaged and all affected students will be given

an extension of not more than 6 months in order to

write their nal exams. All students who have been

affected by the above will be granted a 10 % discounton their next course registration with INTEC.

Regards

Dale Chaplin

National Commercial Manager

If INTEC is at fault then we denitely look at resolving

the complaint immediately by assisting the student to

complete their studies or else request from the student

that all cancellation processes and documentation

are completed correctly to enable us to process the

refund.

The problem is that when I contacted the family to see if

they have received their money, I was told that they had

not. Intec did attach a proof of payment but the branch

number did not match. I prefer to believe that this was

an honest mistake and that the refund will materialise

shortly. My advice to students, based upon all the evi-

dence put before me, all the broken promises which I

witnessed, would be to avoid this school until they haveproven themselves able to operate in an even-handed

and transparent manner.

*Intec has, at the time of going to print, just refunded the

money; we thank Dale Chaplin for his attention.

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So here you are January was the worst month ever, you are still reeling from a hazy spending spree atChristmas, add drunken binge spending on New Years Eve and after that you were broke. Then you have toget through January, school fees and other expenses. It is, hands down, the worst month ever.You are broke, broke, and broke, but the beginning of February heralds a gleam of light at the end of the

Here we go again...

e n t e r t a i n m e n t

By Rob Parker and Victoria Kangombe

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tunnel. Finally some relief: but hello? What freshhell is this? The gangsters from Hallmark and theirtoadying subordinates from the oral and hospitalityindustries are promising to wreak havoc on yourrelationship if you do not spend your last few dollarson wildly inated restaurant prices. If you do not skipfood for three days leading up to February 14 so youcan buy some roses, which mysteriously jumped1200% in price last week, than somehow you areunworthy of love.

This has always been a nonsense holiday; A holidayfor making single people marginally suicidal andhammering the rest of us with debt, just when we arerecovering from January. So what is it that makesone think that you should only give owers on thisday, chosen by Hallmark Freemasons and the FloralIlluminati, rather than, oh say, March 23 or July 7?Vast tracts of arable farmland land in developingcountries are occupied by distinctly useless rosesthat pass for signs of affection in the industrialisednations.

Ask yourself why your signicant other, whoostensibly cares for you, just has to go to a restauranton the day when the price is doubled? Why can yourpartner not be happy with the EXACT same foodfour days later, when everything is back to normal?Why are roses not acceptable February 28th, whenorists have regained their senses? Does your partnersecretly loathe you? Is this their nal act before theydump you via sms? I think its a good sign.

I think it is time to reclaim Valentines Dayfrom the corporate swine. Iran has banned theholiday as western propaganda. I am urging theNamibian Government to do the same. Save us fromthe depredations of Big Flower and the Criminals atHallmark with their syrupy sentiment that just makesit hard for the average guy to get his point across.

Here in Namibia, and on any other day, takinga girl to kapana makes you a mans man, especiallywhen you add on a Fanta and a vetkoek from thosememes at single quarters. If you then end off the day

with sundowners at Goreagab Dam, why would shenot want to do it again on Valentines Day? Its not asif the Dam is less dirty on Valentines Day.

Ah, a light bulb just ickered; since many ofthese Namibian ladies love those mindless means ofentertainment called soapies, hows about you havea picnic in the bush somewhere? Unfortunately, ormaybe fortunately, the plot always leads to misfortune:someone either falls into an old abandoned mineshaft, there might be an old ame lurking aroundpsychotically plotting to kill both of you, or you might

just run into the B1 Butcher, conveniently.Your partner might take you for a cheapskatebut if youve had it with Valentines Day, and apartner who is an avid believer in the day, try thesoapie move; it will save you from a shallow partnerand save you bucket loads of money. On this horridday, the average American consumer will shell out$116.21 on traditional Valentines Day merchandisethis year, according to the National Retail Federation.That is roughly N$1,200.

Consumers, unite and refuse to pay inatedcosts for owers and contrived N$200 restaurantSpecial Valentines menus. Declare that you havehad enough and refuse to participate in this charadeany longer. If anybody needs more information on thisboycott, it will be easy to nd me I will be sleepingon the couch.


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The Namibia Rugby Union is a mess and newlyappointed interim administrator Steph Nel will be hard-pressed to turn its fortunes around in just under sevenmonths. Nels primary objective is to help the troubledunion ensure smooth World Cup preparations for theailing national team.

However, his biggest challenge could be todouse the in-house squabbles that have become theorder of the day at the NRU, given that its presidentBuks Bock has in recent times admitted that his

organisation was dysfunctional, which prompted theIRBs intervention.

According to IRBs Head of Development andPerformance, Mark Egan, the NRUs troubles werenothing new in the rugby world as even the biggestof unions faced similar challenges. Apart from beingplagued by poor nances, the NRU also has a smallstaff made up mostly of volunteers.

Egan is however condent that with Nel at thehelm, albeit temporarily, Namibian rugby affairs wouldget back on track. Given that this is World Cup year,we need the union to be on top of its game, said

Eagan of the IRBs decision to appoint Nel. Nel hasa lot of experience and is a highly qualied coach andadministrator, the renowned IRB ofcial continued.

The union has limited funds with which to workwith but they have good structures in place. Nel, who

doubles as the head of the Western Province RugbyInstitute, assumes his new role on March 20 and willassist Namibian national coach Johan Diergaardt puthis development programme for the Welwitschias inplace.

The programme includes the annual SouthAfrican Vodacom Cup competition as well as the IRBNations Cup in Romania in June where Namibia will playtest matches against Romania, Georgia and Portugal.Three more matches against strong opposition

potentially against the Argentina Jaguars and the SouthAfrican Students have also been earmarked for Julyand August.

My job is to come up with a strategy that willaid the NRU and the national team, said Nel. Namibiahas a long history of producing good rugby players soI think we can get the current guys competitive for theWorld Cup. Its gonna be a challenge. But its one Imlooking forward to.

DOMESTIC TROUBLE

Despite the IRBs public backing of the NRU

management, local rugby clubs have submitted a voteof no condence with the Ministry of Sport. Last week,22 of the 25 NRU afliated rugby teams have launchedan urgent application with the line ministry requestingan urgent AGM to be held in order to oust the Bock

s p o r t s

By staff reporter

3

New appointment at NRU


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Liezel Jansen - Jobs UnlimitedDo not just refuse the offer. You should at least inform your prospective employer of the situation in order for

them to decide what route to follow. It is important to be honest with them so as not to lead them on. In most

cases, companies appreciate it when you as the candidate are honest with them; it is after all a sign of good

character and that might just help you get the job despite your situation. Depending on the company policy

and procedures they will decide whether or not to employ you.

Coek Welsh - HR@WORKMany women struggle with this when trying to nd employment or when they are changing jobs.

The short answer to your question is No. The Namibian Labour Act prohibits discrimination against, among

others, an employee (or applicant for employment) on the grounds ofprevious, current or future pregnancy.

This provision regarding pregnancy is explicitly stated in the Labour Act so no confusion about it should

exist.

It is prudent to disclose the status of your pregnancy during an interview situation. Another aspect that you

need to keep in consideration: What is going to happen after your maternity leave is over? Some women prefer

to stay at home and raise the baby. If you are planning to stay at home you need to state that desire explicitly to

the new employer if you do decide to take the job as this could impact on your working relationship. However

if you plan to return to work after your maternity leave this should not impact on the relationship. A last word

of advice, make sure you are registered and that your SSC contributions are paid and up-to-date as the SSC

will in all likelihood cover most of your salary while you are on maternity leave.

C Williams - Seesa Labour NamibiaIn terms of Namibia Labour Act 2007, section 5, Prohibition of discrimination in employment, Subsection(5)

(2)(9), of same section, expressively provide for non-discrimination in the employment context, directly or

indirectly, or adopt any requirement or engage in any practice which has the effect of discrimination against

any individual as on (g) previous, current or future pregnancy.

The current law prohibits employers from discriminating against women that might be pregnant, and or hiring

a prospective employee who is, or plans to be pregnant.

Some companies and or industries have maternity policies, specically formulated for the operations of

industry and or the company.

Any contract of employment will be subjected to the law, notwithstanding the probation period, her

appointment was based on her professional work, she should therefore sit-down with her prospective

employer and inform employer of her pregnancy. The possible impact may have on business operations, if

only, and a possible stand-in for her absence.

I received a call from a company at which I applied a few months ago telling me that my

application was successful and that I had made it through the interview process. I am to

start about a month from now. My problem however is that I recently found out that I am

pregnant and that I am three months along. Is there a law against hiring pregnant women?

Seeing that I will only ofcially work for about three (the other three are for probation and

I take it, do not count), should I just refuse the offer? They might consider me more of a li-

ability than an asset.

Every month we pose a question sent in by a reader to our panel of experts.

Send questions to [email protected] or fax to (061) 228 196

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consumer news february 2011 issue

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