South West Africa/Namibia Issues Related to Political Independence

SOUTH WEST AFRICA/NAMIBIA ISSUES RELATED TO POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE PETER CHARLES BENNETT University of Cape Town A Dissertation Submitted To The Faculty of Social Science University of Cape Town. Rondebosch, For The Degree of Master of Arts October 1983 The University of Ctlpe Town has been given the right to rcprodooe this thesis In wholo or In port. Copyright Is held by the wthor. The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town i SOUTH WEST AFRICA/NAMIBIA ISSUES RELATED TO POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE This dissertation constitutes a study of all issues relevant to South West Africa/Namibian independence, from 1915 to June 1983. The method employed is primarily of a descrip- tive, histcirical and analytical nature, which brings together in a concise study a variety of primary research materials, particularly with extensive use of newspaper resources. Due to the limited available material on South West Africa/ Namibia, it was necessary to rely upon these journalistic sources to a large extent. It was, therefore, necessary to assume that: • 1. newspaper references are correct and valid, and that articles by relevant authorities and political figures are a true expression of the writers' political beliefs; 2. that in terms of books, journals and other published materials in relation to South West Africa/Namibia, the facts have been accurately researched and verified, and 3. that personal conversations with relevant authorities are genuine as to the thoughts expressed. A number of hypotheses are put forward: 1. that independence will come about as the result of a i i process of negotiation and not because of military vic tory or defeat~ 2. that the South West Africa People's Organisation is bound to be part of any true settlement; 3. that this organisation cannot claim to be the 'sole authentic representative' of the Territory's population, and ,4. as a result of this, there is a definite need for the accommodation of other internal parties in a genuine settlement as well. i i i I declare that this dissertation is my own, unaided work. It is being submitted for the degree of Master of Arts at the Univer sity of Cape Town, Rondebosch. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other University. PETER CHARLES BENNETT l4th day of October, l983 iv Dedicated to my mother, Ann Bennett v CONTENTS ABSTRACT i DECLARATION iii DEDICATION iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v PREFACE viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix Section One: BACKGROUND l 1.1 The Economy of South West Africa/Namibia 2 Appendix I SWA I Namibia Geo-Regions 13 Appendix II - SWA / Namibia Minerals 14 Appendix III - Economic Production 15 1.2 Democracy in Plural Societies A South West Africa I Namibia Case Study . 20 1.3 The United Nations and South West Africa/Namibia: Introduction to the History and Development of the South West Africa People's Organisation 46 Section Two: CONTEXTUAL PERSPECTIVE 75 2.1 Understanding Guerrilla Warfare A Comparison Between the Maoist Model and the South West Africa People ,-s Organisation . 76 Appendix I Insurgent Contacts .............. 91 vi 2.2 The South Africa Defence Force in South West Africa I Namibia An Army or Occupation? .. ~ ... 95 2.3 South Africa's Security Policies Viewpoints on South West Africa /Namibia . 115 2.4 Angola, the Cuban Question and the South West Africa/Namibia Linkage ........................ 128 Appendix I Communist Military Technicians In Less Developed Countries ]979 ..•. 159 Appendix II - Communist Countries: Military Aid to Non-Communist Countries ...... 161 Appendix III - Communist Training of LDC Military Personnel 163 2.5 A Southern African Perspective The Reduction of South Africa's Regional Domination .......... 173 Appendix I Major SADF Operations and Raids Into Southern African States 1976-1982 188 Appendix II - Incidents of Destabilisation 189 Section Three: LOCAL POLITICS 196 3.1 Political and Administrative Developments Within South West Africa/namibia Introduction to the 1970s .......................................... 197 Appendix I The Proposed Homelands of SWA/ Namibia: The Odendaal Recommenda- tions ........................... 212 Appendix II - Delegations Approved by the Turn- halle Credentials Committee 213 Appendix III - Declaration of Intent 214 Appendix IV - SWA/Namibia Governmental Frame- work During Interim Period 216 Vii 3.2 The Interim Dispensation Under Provision of Pro clamation No.AG.8 Representative Authorities Proclamation 1980 .............................. 221 3.3 Local Reactiort The Interim Structure Officialised But Not Legitimate 1980-1983 239 Appendix I Political Parties at the Time of the December 1978 Election ...... 267 Section Four: THE SOUTH WEST AFRICAN PEOPLE'S ORGANI- SATION 2 74 4.1 The Historical Development and Policies of the South West Africa People's Organisation 275 4.2 The South West Africa People's Organisation Ideological Motivations South Africa's Justi- fication for the South West Africa/Namibia War? . 297 4.3 Ethnic Divisions Effects on the South West Africa People's Organisation's Support and Nationalism ......................... ·.......... 320 4.4 The South West Africa People's Organisation Divisions From Within: The SWAPO-Democrats 348 Section Five: CONCLUSION ........................... 362 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 3 71 viii PREFACE This dissertation is undertaken with the pur pose of placing South West Africa I Namibia in a recent perspective. The topics and material analysed in this dissertation have been dis cussed in an impartial manner, without pre verential treatment to any organisation or authority. Being a born South West Africa/ Namibian greatly contributed towards this end. I must express gratitude to David Welsh who made many valuable suggestions while super vising this dissertation. ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ANC African National Congress DTA Democratic Turnhalle Alliance FNLA National Front for the Liberation of Angola MPLA Popular Front for the Liberation of Angola NP National Party OAU Organisation 0£ African Unity PLAN People's Liberation Army of Namibia SADF South African Defence Force SWA / Namibia South West Africa/ Namibia SWAPO South West Africa People's Organisation SWATF South West Africa Territorial Force UN United Nations Organisation UNIT A Nation Union for the Total Independence of Angola WCG Western Contact Group ZANU Zimbabwe African People's Union INTRODUCTION As with all other dynamic social situations where people have to resort to force to attain their national independence, the South West Africa/Namibian case requires care \ ful identification of the most salient features and themes intricately bound to this independence process. Having identified these features with regard to this particular study of SWA/Namibia, it is possible to construct an over- all perspective, and to decide on the procedures to be adopted, SWA/Namibia can correctly be described as a country of startling contrasts. Geographically it is comprised of vast wastelands subjected to extreme climatic changes. It has a small population, numbering little more than one million people living together in isolated urban or rural areas, who uphold and support a variety of political ideas/ convictions and parties. They share a long history of colonial administration, and many of the population groups, at one stage or another; have sought an end to colonial domination. This search for self-government was, and still is, the strongest bond binding the peoples of SWA/Namibia. In addition to the presence of a foreign colonial administration, the present situation in the territory is further complicated by the diversity of existing local political aspirations, and the fact that all eleven population groups are not united in a common struggle. Briefly then it would appear a number of study areas can be identified: (i) a geo-economic description of the country itself; (ii) to identify the main actors, political parties, gioups, and governments with real interests in the t 1rritory and its independence; (iii} and to evaluate the merits and demerits of their respective claims, principles and policies, in order to reach some tentative conclusions on the current state of affairs in SWA/Namibia, and what would thforetically appear to be the most desirable future state of affairs. The above:are the main themes of study covered in this dissertation. At first sight it is clear that this is too wide a scope to cover in any dissertation, without it being likely to suffer from superficiality and possible theo- retical gaps. The dilemma involved in the analysis of political situations and issues as complex as those encountered in SWA/Namibia, often compels the analyst to adopt a micro or macro approach. On the micro-level the focus will be on the detailed examination of one or a few interrelated sets of central issues, while a macro-level approach aims at all the most salient issues into a broad perspective. The second approach has been opted for in this dissertation. As it is impossible to separate and rank in order of impor tance the areas of study the aim was to place the entire SWA/Namibia independence dispute in an historic analytical perspective, current until 1983. Methodologically this was a~hieved by: 1. Extensive culling of contemporary newspapers from SWA/ Namibia, South Africa and some United States papers; 2. Interviews with political and bureaucratic actors in SWA/Namibia; and through reviews of published secondary sources. It is regretable that limitations on length resulted in the unequal treatment of the five sections of this dissertation. Section 1.1, dealing with the economy of SWA/Namibia, is one of the areas of study covered in less detail. The intention of this sub-section was the presentation of a broad perspective of the economy of the territory.

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