Rosh Pinah
The problem of alcohol abuse and its negative social impact has been compared to malignant cancer.
“The use of alcohol has always two sides – one side is its use, while the other side is abuse,” said Oranjemund Constituency Councillor Eliphas Iita when he launched Rosh Pinah’s Coalition on the Reduction of Harmful Drinking (CORD) last Friday.
He described alcohol abuse as a huge problem and a cancer damaging Namibian communities as it leads to breaking up of families, crime and other social evils. It’s therefore important to take a collective stand against alcohol abuse, he added.
Iita said state funds are being spent on alcohol as beneficiaries of state social grants are splurging taxpayers’ money on alcohol.
“Our people, elderly people, frequent shebeens after just receiving their N$1 000,” he said in reference to the monthly old-age pension paid by the State.
He added that alcohol is dangerous as it affects school performance directly and indirectly, while productivity in the workplace is affected by employees indulging in alcohol abuse as it leads to absenteeism and unwarranted sick leave.
He said many employees take refuge in hospitals and ask for sick leave certificates from doctors who collude with them to cover up the main reason they are absent from work.
“How many employees evade work because of being babalas (having a hangover)?” he asked.
Speaking at the same event Tawanda Zata a social worker based at Lüderitz emphasized that the problem of alcohol is not only a problem for Rosh Pinah or //Kharas Region, but is a national problem affecting many people in different ways.
He said the devastating social, physical, psychological and economic consequences of alcohol on communities can’t be over-emphasised
He gave a brief evidence-based statistical overview of the alcohol problem in Namibia from research by the Ministry of Health and Social Services and Unicef in 2007, which found that 56 percent of Namibian adults consume alcohol, of whom 25 percent have been injured as a result.
He said the study further found that 72 percent of Namibian youth drink, while 49 percent of young people have access to home brews.
Zata stressed it is thus important for all stakeholders to support CORD to ensure it is a success by committing to prevent and control the abuse of alcohol and mitigate its deadly consequences by increasing public awareness and coordinating and networking on best approaches to deal with the problem.
He further outlined that harmful drinking destroys families, causes malnutrition, reduces work performance and productivity and scuppers the government’s vision of poverty eradication.
The CORD programme suffers from lack of commitment nationally, according to Zata, and hence the need for all partners to ensure reduction of harmful drinking.
He also called on //Kharas Governor Lucia Basson to place the fight against alcohol abuse in the region at the forefront of her development agenda.
Fifteen certificates were awarded to the members of the Rosh Pinah CORD group at the occasion.