By Mathias Haufiku

WINDHOEK - Parliamentarian wants traditional healers to be strictly regulated to ensure that bogus healers are dealt with. At the same time they called for heavy fines for those who are found guilty of improper conduct. Lawmakers also want fees charged by traditional healers to be regulated.

There has been an influx of traditional healers into the country in recent years with many earning decent incomes from the trade. Some claim that they can bring back lost lovers, mend broken marriages, bring wealth, enlargement or tightening of sexual organs, remove bad luck, stop partners from cheating and boost business performance, amongst others.

Speaking during the debate on the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill in the National Assembly, Minister of Veterans Affairs Dr Nickey Iyambo called for hefty fines for those traditional healers who are caught breaking the law. He also called for the Bill to be crafted in such a way that it protects the public from the mushrooming of traditional healers.

“The Bill states that the fine for  traditional healers who are found guilty of improper conduct cannot exceed N$20 000, I say this is peanuts and I am therefore urging the minister responsible to really apply his mind,” said Iyambo.

Some of the healing categories include faith healers, herbalists, faith herbalists, diviners, and divine herbalists.

“I think we need to limit these categories at least for now so that we only remain with those which we can afford to live with. A faith healer we can live with because we are a country of believers – you can go to a priest to tell him about your problems, therefore we may compromise to live with faith healers due to our cultural environment,” said Iyambo.

Iyambo proposed that the Bill be referred to the relevant parliamentary committee, which must consist of members who are well versed in the subject, so that they can explain to the communities during consultations the seriousness of the Bill.

Another MP, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Stanley Simataa, wanted to know whether a leave of absence from work certificate authorised and signed by a traditional healer would be regarded as a legal document once the Bill is passed by parliament.

“If this is allowed I fear that we might see an avalanche of  leave of absence issued by traditional healers. We are already faced with this problem with medical doctors,” he said.

Simataa also wants fees charged by traditional healers to be strictly regulated.

“Traditional healers overcharge their patients, especially when they know you are well off. They even claim they can bring you wealth while they themselves are swimming in a sea of poverty. Another problem is that you must pay in advance, yet you are not entitled to a refund when things go wrong,” he said.

Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, also joined the debate and called on her fellow parliamentarians to think carefully when making decisions on the matter.

“In as much as I detest the practice of witchdoctors, there are actually people who dispense medication using our traditions and customs that were used before the Westerners came. We cannot take away everything because of a few opportunistic traditional healers,” she said.

She also said the country risks being seen as practising self-hate by choosing western practices over indigenous ones.

“Other people are creating technologies and thriving industries to create livelihoods for their people. When we go out for consultations on this Bill we need to draw lessons to ensure that this law assists us to address the issue of developing African technologies. There are things that are good about our customs and traditions, we must seek and develop them so that we can have solutions to our own problems,” she said.