Patience Makwele
What began as an innocent pastime during the Covid-19 lockdown became a dangerous addiction that a 27-year-old Namibian says almost claimed his life.
For years, Petersen Timothy believed vaping was harmless. Today, after repeated hospital admissions and a serious lung condition, he is sharing his story in the hope that other young people will not follow the same path.
The Young Observer has changed Petersen’s name to protect his identity.
Petersen, who has lived with asthma since the age of six, said his introduction to smoking came in 2020 when Covid-19 restrictions left him spending most of his time at home with cousins and neighbours.
“Back then, we bought a hookah pipe just to pass the time. It was something we did for fun,” he recalled.
What started as occasional smoking soon developed into a craving. When portable vaping devices became more popular a few years later, he switched to disposable vapes and said he rarely went anywhere without one.
“I always had one with me. I lost count of how many times I vaped in a day because it became part of my routine,” he said.
However, the addiction quickly took hold.
“I started because the people around me were doing it. Before I knew it, I always wanted another puff.”
Although doctors repeatedly warned him about the dangers because of his asthma, Petersen admitted he ignored the advice. Instead, he hid his habit from his parents by vaping outside the house or while everyone was asleep.
“My lips became dark and I tried to hide it but I could not hide the addiction anymore.”
His health continued to deteriorate.
In 2022, Petersen was admitted to the Katutura Intermediate hospital after doctors discovered his lungs were not in good condition. Although treatment helped him recover temporarily, he returned to vaping only a few months later.
Towards the end of 2025, what his family believed was another asthma attack resulted in another emergency hospital visit.
“They rushed me to hospital thinking it was just my asthma but the doctors said my lungs had become worse again. It was very frightening for my family,” he said.
Despite repeated hospitalisations, Petersen said quitting nicotine proved harder than he expected.
“Even when I was sick, I would still sneak away just to vape. Looking back, I realise it delayed my recovery.”
Earlier this year, doctors diagnosed him with lipoid pneumonia, a lung condition he believes was linked to years of vaping. The diagnosis became the wake-up call he needed.
“Every time I breathed in, it felt like I was breathing through sharp objects. That was when I realised if I did not stop, my family might lose me.”
He immediately stopped selling vaping products, asked family members not to vape around him and committed himself to breaking his addiction.
Today, Petersen says he has been vape-free for five months and is slowly regaining his health.
“The doctors say I am improving and I am grateful for that.”
His experience comes as Namibia intensifies efforts to tackle the growing use of vaping products among young people.
The ministry of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture recently announced it is reviewing school safety policies and the Education Act to explicitly prohibit vaping devices in schools after increasing reports of learners using them.
Education minister Sanet Steenkamp said the ministry is working to close legal loopholes while strengthening learner codes of conduct and school safety frameworks.
The ministry of health and social services is also reviewing the Tobacco Products Control Act to bring electronic cigarettes, vapes and hubbly bubbly under tighter regulation as concerns grow over youth nicotine addiction and the lack of clear controls on emerging tobacco products.
The growing concern is backed by alarming statistics.
According to the 2024 Namibia Global School-based Student Health Survey, about 23% of learners aged 13 to 17 reported using electronic cigarettes, while 18% used tobacco products and 9% smoked conventional cigarettes.
The World Health Organization warned that nicotine exposure during adolescence can interfere with brain development, increase dependence and make quitting significantly more difficult later in life.
Lawmakers have also raised alarm over the growing popularity of hubbly bubbly and vaping among learners.
The National Council’s Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare and Labour Affairs has been investigating the prevalence of vaping in schools and its impact on learners’ health, amid calls for stronger regulation and public awareness.
For Petersen, however, the debate is no longer about policy.
It is about survival.
“I started because of peer pressure and because everyone around me was doing it,” he said. “People think vaping is different from smoking but the damage is real.”
He urged young people not to ignore the advice of parents, teachers and health professionals.
“Following peer pressure should never be something you do because you can lose your life. I cannot change what happened to me but maybe someone else can make a different choice.”
He shared that when he is ready to publicly raise awareness about the dangers associated with vaping he will use his active TikTok account with over 9 000 followers but for now he’s hope is that young people learn from his experience.
“I am still in recovery, I have been documenting everything so that one day when I am ready to share my story without withholding my identity‘hopefully soon’ young people including adults can learn and stand together with the government to put an end to this.”
As Namibia moves to tighten controls on vaping products, Petersen hopes his story will serve as a warning that addiction can begin with what seems like harmless fun but end with consequences that last a lifetime.
