Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Swapo National Council member, Richard !Gaoseb has requested his fellow lawmakers to resume the debate on the negative effects of hubbly bubbly (hooka) pipes on the health and well-being of Namibians, especially the youth and ban the substance.
!Gaoseb brought the motion forward during the 10th session, of the sixth national council in Windhoek this week.
He said hubbly bubbly pipes have become popular all over the world and the Namibian youth, in particular, has joined the bandwagon, medical research has found that hubbly bubbly pipes are a major contributor to the transmission of diseases such as tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and oral herpes infections, through the sharing of the same mouthpiece. Which is also attributed to the causing cancer.
“Honourable Chairperson, Honourable Members, it is important to note that the National Assembly in 2017 deliberated on a motion proposing the ban of hubbly bubbly pipes but to date, there is no clarity on what exactly happened to the motion. When this debate was recently resumed at the Assembly, Hon. Dr. Esther Muinjangue, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is on record having informed the House that her ministry is planning to undertake research into this matter.
It is therefore recommended that this August House deliberate on this important matter and refer it to the National Council’s Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare and Labour Affairs for further investigation and report back,” he said.
!Gaoseb noted that some neighbouring countries like Botswana have already taken a stand and banned hubbly bubbly in order to rescue its productive citizens.
He said the matter should further be referred to the Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare and Labour Affairs to consult the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on its undertaking pronounced in the National Assembly to conduct a study on the use of hubbly bubbly in Namibia, to establish to what extent the existing legislative framework regulates the use of the hubbly bubbly.
“Make comparisons between Namibia and other jurisdictions on the legislation, policies and regulations dealing with the use of hubbly bubbly, and report back its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the House,” urged !Gaoseb.
