E 339 Lafayette Street - For A Free Soutllem Alricll- C New York, N~Y. 10012
S f A Phone: (212) 477-0066 #48 7 November 1986 ~amibia under permanent s-tate ofEm~rgency
The international cornrmmity is rightly distressed and hOrTified by the imposition of a state of emergency in South Africa in June of this year. But it appears not -to know or care -that similar "emergency" rules have been in effect in Namibia since 1972.,
Northern Namibia, "the "operational area" where over half of all Namibians live, 'is under full martial law, enforced by South African milltary and paramili-tary forces supplemented by Namibian conscripts .and ·tribalpolice units. Altogether these occu- _pation forces total some lOO ,OOO..-or one for ·every. ten. or fewer Namibians livmg in 'the .north.- .. '.'~ . ~ -- -" '. : .
':l,~ N.. ~~ b~..,. 8 'A~. JQCl4 These "security forces" rule the north by vio ------lence and ter.ror. The basic emergency proclama 101 .Battalion assaults tion ("A-G 9") authorizes officers to arrest and hold anyone inindefinite, incormnunicado deten 101 BAlTALION memben-wen notorious makakunya David ._tIy.mued of _u1t1iac three Sbinana,' and that be, indieatina tion for "inter.rogation"-- a term translated by c:blklrell, their motller, adalso of ~e teachers' footprints shouted: Itea1Iq eenaIn Items ad a .... of 'You lying prostitute, today you the occupation forces as -torture. Indeed, KIlO Ia cub from the family Ia will_I' . soldiers and police kill, kidnap, and assault HrtiItnI Namibia. 'Sbinana grabbed me by the necIc According to a statement filed and pulled me down, wbile the local men, WOlneI;l, and children, burn down -their with the office of the Chairman of others assaulted my tbne cbiIdml. kraals, destroy their crops, and steal their . the Owambo Administration, Mr While Sbinana Itill kept his foot on Peter Kalangula, two SADF Buf 'my neck, other IOldiers kicked and property with impuni-ty. fel Trucks on June 25', 1986, arriv i beat us up with sticks and Tifle ed at the home of Mrs Mariane I butts, Joseph at Ondangwa, and asked 'The makakunya's tben search· A provision of the ~genpy-:r.ul:es. -prohibi'ts_suits her. and . the children for the ~Jee':~~~=re~~o~l:t~:~~~ whereabouts of 'three terrorists' for damages againstmenibers of the security forces who allegedly visited her home the Ilefl,' she ~lIeg~. '. . .. . _ or their SUPeriors for any action taken "in con- , previous day. __ . The womanSlated that she ex· ~~ nection with" the application of the emergency plained to the soldiers that no such persons visited her home, and that - -- legislation. Criminal prosecution of soldiers or the only people "'ho visited her the police for abuse of Namibians is baITed by law if they acted "in previous day were teachers from Ondangwa. . good faith. " ~ ._----- She further alleged that she recogni~d one of the ~ldiers as Most complaints by civilians I,!hc. N..CLrn·'bi".." 't ~ ,qa" ___. /'~_'.~'.;._.;~~_.. ;~.:. ':~ .> '.. ,:.=~=:t~·~~f~#;~..~~_::%e_·.:.;/Coromunity up-in-arms dfficial~ do' act,thei.:' responses·m:.y -be--grotesque:'-- as dead are paraded 'IW::> soldiers found gUl.lty of roastmg an elderly .IN ~.Acr.4eicIbtd~~ ~ COIll'_~dRUII ..aroaJUl.•arket .places. man alive over an open fire-- one arm was ampu "munity 'of OsIInati as" 'barbaric: C8a1-sbops aad tbe re5ldentlaJ aJ!d lrrespoaslblt' Stearlty forces areas of Osbnatl West ac:c:ordlnc tated as a result, and he died not long after his operating la the Osbnatl area to eye witnesses in the ana. alltgedly 'paraded' the bodies of A letter from the community of discharge from the hospital-- were fired $25 each periJlas killed la actioa tbrouCb Osbakatl, desc:ribed the borror of for "excessive zeal." the residential and business.aras of the laddent, aad stated tbat 011 Osbakatl last Suaday; . -.tnI oc:c:asIons ia the past,..mea . The incident oexarred OD wbat is BIiJar iDc:idents bad occurred, they This summer a court trying four South African 000 as Casslnca Day, wben the.. bad complalDed to Mr Peter bodies of the guerrillas, which were Kalal!&uIa,_wbo beacls tbe ~- soldiers for 1I11.1I'dering the Namibian father of five strapped onto the bumpen ad 1'110 AclJI!inIstratioa. . was ordered from Pretoria to stop the trial. spm wheels of twoCasspin, were Residents said tIIty c:oaId Dot The btIleve It possible that IInmlUl be soldiers thereupon want free. . lap -~~ ",J mistaken. Tbey an nninc as witb revolt aad disgast' one resident , said.' . ~ ¥ abuses an: arrong those who In June 1985 the South Africa State ~sident issued a proclanation install ing a carefully selected puppet "gov errunent" in Windhoek. That proclanation in ,n~' N~,b;~ cluded a "Bill of . 1~~"N£ 'CIS" Fundamental Rights," 1-. - A flITEEN year-old scboolboy, .purported to ensure Portus Blasias from Oabemba many political and YilJ81e near Ombalantu iD nortbern civil rights in the INamibia bas been bospltalised for ,"ere facial bUnlS after memben Territory. However, I of tbe Sootb African Defence force allegedly beId Ills face apinsl when challenged in the exhaust system of an idling the courts, the ~"gov Baffel truck. From his hospital bed the boy ern"'Ilent" has taken the told of his ordeal at the bands of men he called 'merciless white position that the Bill devils.' is not binding. Fur He said a group of about 12 soldiers last Friday beat him up and thermore, it intends violently pressed his face ..aiDst a to preserve the pipe of hot Stealll from the back of a Buffel. emrgency rules authorizing detention without trial and granting im I Blasius said the soldiers arrived at a Cuca-shop belongiog to Mr munity to the security forces regarless of any conflict with the Nalusha, a businessman from Eill. Omu1amba township, and ordeRd him to open the Coca-shop. He ex· 1 plained to them that the owner of Thus the Billrerna.ins a propaganda ploy, designed to 1I1islead the out ., the shop was out on business and , that be bad no keys except those side world into believing that a dem::>cratic system is being created \ for his suitcase. 'Upon this the soldiers forced me in Namibia. But the cruel realities have not changed. ,to unlock the door with the keys of ~ Imy suitcase. They then grabbed rand tbrew me into the Buffel and N~,.,,;J:,,~n .,.he "'''"...; I b ia. n, Au. ~. ,,,,,, - /"the took me with them to an undisclos arbit~ ed place where they accused me of \ ritE SOUTH African Defence children during an attack " being a little, stupid Swapo, and II J"~S \ Force and the cabinet ofthe interim on the family's home on August Oa. II asked me about Swapo fighters. , 'aoyernment defended an action in 15, 1984. .. : 'Some soldiers staned to beat me \ which four ciyilians hi north Mrs Camlhus alleged that I up while othen pulling my hair western Namibia were burnt to members of the SADF wrongfull! held my face against the exhaust Injured COM , pipe. death by soldiers in August 1984 and unlawfully attacked the faml- •Although I was screaming very \ but filUllly agreed to pay compen- IY's property, killing her 40 year old loudly those merciless white devils driver dies \ sation for loss of support and husband Mr Raphael Gerh~rd, a did not care, and even left me there preac~er brea~wmner, I in t~e bush with much pain: MR VILHO KASHIKA, 41, damages suffered by a widow "'" lay and only \-..Blasius saJd. following an attack on ber tradi· and relatives Barbara Kaslku, 64, ~VVV a civilian who was allegedly tional home. .. Rudolf Erasmus, 8, and Gerh~rd beaten up at Omutse in theOn in an action instituted by Mrs Raphael, 3. _ . . dangua area, by security force Floria Camilius, a widow of Ton- ~ members, died this week in the doro in Kavango, compensation ~ Oshakati State Hospital. was claimed for damages suffered : According to the office of as a result of personal injuries to Mr Peter Kalangula, a charge herself and two of her minor was laid on behalf of Mr Kashi -~ ------ka, following an incident in .~~IAN --- which he was badly beaten up I'lUDAY.FebruarY2119a6------on August 26 this year. Mr Kasbika was taken to the Onanjokwe Hospital, where it SWATF'reacts to·viewing o'fcorpses was at one stage feared he , BY JOHN LIEBENBERG tbemNamibia1hat families from: -'.thai "during:the identification would become a paraplegic, but the white town ofOshakati had proccssJorintelligencepurposes he died in Oshakati hospital this A SPOKESMAN for tbe SWA taken their children to view the at the Army headquaners in Territory Force ·bas denied corpsesofthedeadfighterswhen Oshakati, some curious people week. allegations tbattbe bodies of37 they WCTC laid out·anhe Head- passing by had come to look'. Mr Kashika was employed by Swapo guerriUas; ~ntly sbot . quartersofSector lOinOshakati. CDM as a driver to the Execu bytbeSWATF,_otficiallyex There was 1I1so a TCPOrI ·that a biblted10 membersoftbe public seniorAnnyoffiCCrbadtakenhis tive Director, and was married In Osbakatl. wife to.view.the.dead guerrillas. with five children. . There·wen; reports from nor- "The SWATF'spokesman said ...... FIRST BIRTHDAY EDITION TODAY ******** *-* ** CK MOVE lnterim government's I proposed amendment II to exclude courts' ) - -"----I testing bill of rights Bill of Rights not for "Ordinary Citizen" BY GWEN USTER .•... GOVERNIIENT SOURCES hey. _keel that .n ~ttothe interim goyernment'sempower. Ing PI'ocIIIIlUlUon h8a been befo... theCebi_t.nd Is rently In the hends of the South Atricen The South African-appointed "interim government" Stete P ldent. IIr PW Bothe, for his ..gnlltu.... This ernenclm8nt could hey. the e"eet of ex· of Namibia has told a trial court that the Bill of cIucIIntI the jurt8dlctlon of the courts to test lews Inexistence priorto the Instelllltlon ofthelntertm Fundamental Rights-- which is a part of the proc goy~t..-Inat the BID of Rights. lamation that created the "government"-- cannot It is understood that in a case ' fect had been discussed or approv. be used to protect individual Namibians. decided earlier this year, tbe I ed of. I validity of tbe Terrorism Act I Senior Counsel has conftrmed to _was contested on the basis that I The Namibian that he was mvolv. it offended against tbe Billof ed in the drafting of such an The lawyer representing the government took this 1amendment but had not seen the Rights contained in Proclama final produCt. and referred The position in a landmark case that will determine tion RIOI, empowering the in Namibian to the Secretarv of terim government. Justice. . the relevance of the Bill of Rights. The pro The presiding Judge. Mr At the time of going to press, J~s Justice Strydom. ruled that The Namibian was unable to con· ceeding was brought by Kauluma:,_ Anglican laws in existence prior to the in taCt the Secretary of Justice for stallation of the interim govern comment, and not one Cabinet Bishop of Namibia and President Of the Namibia ment could not be tested in this Minister was available to comment Council of Churches; lQeopas Dumeni, Lutheran way_ on the matter. however certain members and 5upponers of the in It was reported recently that ·in terim government, who declined to Bishop of Northern Namibia; and Bonifatius the trial of the State versus Heita be named, have expressed disquiet other~. Haushiku, Catholic Bishop of Namibia; and and seven the Terrorism at the proposed amendment. Rornarl Act would once again be tested against the Bill of Rights and that their churches. They have challenged the legality a Full Bench of the Supreme Court would be convened to consider of the dawn-to-dusk curfew that is in effect in whether it would confll'tn or over· northern Namibia, the so-called "operational tUTD Mr Junice Suydam's ruling. Lawyers in the Heita trial con· area~ where over half the Territory' s inhabitants firmed that argument to this effect would be heard on Wednesday. live. The Namibian also immediately approached the Secretary of the Cabinet. Mr T A 5 Boonzaaier. who initially declined 10 confirm The bishops claim that the curfew conflicts with that such a move was proceeding, but undertook. to revert to us after freedom of movement and residence, freedom of a half an hour. He failed to do so, and subsequent calls to his office religion, freedom of association, and freedom of revealed he was in urgent consulta- : peaceful assembly, all ostensibly guaranteed in r tions with Cabinet Ministers. I ! A publicity officer for the in· the Bill of Rights. ! terim government, Mr Eberhard Hoffmann. subsequently said that I Mr Boonzaaier's comment was that he 'does not comment unless the The legal issues were considered important enough C~binet has instructed him to do to be heard by a bench of five judges, all: .of them I so. However, he refused to deny that a proposed amendment to this ef· white, under the Judge President, Hans Berker. So many people wanted to attend the hearing when it began on Wednesday, 29 October, that the judges had to move to a larger courtroom. About half the 150 spectators were clergymen, many of whom had travelled hundreds of miles' from northern Namibia to be there. The lawyers for the churches produced some 200 affidavits from residents of the north, describing how seriously the curfew affected their lives. Bishop Kauluma' s detailed affidavit dealt in part with the language of the curfew laws, which ronfine residents to a "stand, lot or site or other place intended normally for ht.mlal1 habitation." He pointed out that land ownership in Ovamboland is rorranunal and without surveyed boundaries; hence it was impossible to define the limits beyond which residents nay not go during the curfew. The .Bishop also referred to births, emergency illnesses, and accidents occurring . at night. Even if permission is granted to leave the egurnbo (housing aI€a) ,sometJ..mes "security forces have fired at vehicles in mtion at night without inquiring as to permission." People have even been fired at ·l'rom light airc.ra:ft:. .. ~ - '-' Salarro Amadhila, a Namibian doctor and the only pediatrician in Ovamboland, added his evidence: The curfew, he said, had had "very prejudicial ronsequences for the provision of medical services in the aI€a, especially arrong children." The real and potential harm sterraned from the speed with which a child's condition could worsen. "I have seen many emergency cases where a child had suffered, and when asked why it was not brought in in time to the hospital, the mther frequently said it: was because of the ------curfew." ._._------Bishop .Kaulurra stated that church services, like midnight mass, had been totally disrupted by the curfew. Further he pointed out that mundane activities were affected: The curfew made it unlawful to continue the traditional cooking of meals arDund an outside fire dur ing the winter nonths. And, as mst residents have no indoor toilets and are forced to go to the bush to Perfonn natural functions, the curfew "makes it unlawful to go to.the toilet during curfew hours for thousands of residents, in- cluding rrwsell." - . .__ t _._ Mr. Peter Kalangula, Chief Minister of the Ovambo bantustan., also sul::rnitted an affidavit. He said the curfew was "inhuman, unworkable and does not take into account the realities of Namibia." It brough~ about suffering, death, injury, and imprisornnent to i..rmocent people, he claimed. The affidavits were handed in in response to affidavits produced by the lawyers for the "interim government" and the South Mrican Minister of Defence, General Magnus Malan. .The {'-government" affidavi!8, signed by.anny officers, South Af rican officials, anctm~Of..Etqrigo, a·pro-~!goY.ei'ilin§U1t" "cultural" organization, argued that the Bill of Rights does not have the force of law. Though the curfew might cause some minor inconvenience, they urged, it was necessary for the safety of the state. The lawyer for the "interim government" admitted that the Bill of Rights "cannot be relied upon by the ordinary citizen" and was limited in legal effect to laws emanating from the "National Assembly." However the case is decided, the prospects do not seem promising for South Africa, which has illegally occupied Namibia since 1966. If the Bill of Rights is not an integral part of the law establishing the "interim government" in 1985, then it is clear there is no freedom,. no protection for human rights in the Territory. If the Bill is given the green light, then many other laws and practices will have to be ruled invalid. (Abridged' frorrii story.:::by Namibia CoIIlll'lUnications Cen~ LDndon, 4 November 1986) j • ,~ NAMIBIA COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE POSt Office Box 286, London WC1X OEL, U.K. Tclephone:(44 1) 833 2905 Windhoek: September 12, 1986 NAMIBIA'S CHURCHES CHALLENGE CURFEW Three Namibian bishops have taken legal action in an attempt to end the dusk-to-dawn curfew which has paralysed the north of the country for eight years. Bishop James Kauluma, head of the Anglican Church, alleges in a lengthy affidavit that the curfew is grossly unreasonable, and has been arbitrarily and capr.~,ciously imposed. There have been numerous reports of villagers being shot on sight by South African soldiers as they walked outside their houses after dark. The other two leading chur~hmen in the action are Bishop Kleopas Dumeni, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, who lives in Ovamboland and is subject to the curfew restrrctions, and the Roman Catholic leader, Bishop Bonifatius Haushiku. The action, which is expected to be heard later this month, is als,o being brought in the name of the churches themselves. The application to have the curfew regulations declared i~valid has been served on the cabinet· of the South African created "interim government" in Namibia, as well as on the South Afiican minister of defence, General Magnus Malan, and on Mr. Louis Pienaar, the Pretoria appointed administrator-general of the territory. ~here are two specific "notices" which,the ch~rchmen hop~ to have declared invalid. In June 1978 the authorities imposed a ban on driving at night without the military's permission. A year later came a more severe curfew restriction, prohibiting people from leaving the confines of their residences after dark. . " .' Consequently villagers are terrified of working in their fields after dark. In 1981, a ten year old boy chasing a donkey near his home after dark was shot and killed by the army, and there have been reports of many other such indiscriminate shootings. The curfew has had serious implications for the social life of the people in the north for they can no longer visit friends at nigh~. Evening church services, midnight mass included, are now also out of bounds. Soldiers have often ordered vi llagers not to light fires or keep the radio on at night as this could be interpreted as sending messages to SWAPO guerrillas who might be in the neighbourhood. Sick people or pregnant women who suddenly develop complications during the night must stay where they are until morning. Most black people have no telephones in the north, and so cannot call for medical help. Bishop Kauluma says you can only get. permission to break the curfew in such circumstances by actually breaking it. One of. the several grounds for bringing the court case is that the regulations are absurd. The plaintiffs allege that th~ curfew regulations contravene'the Bill of Rights, in particular the right to life itself, and that they also impinge on the freedom of religion, assembly, movement and association. End. Th.: Nalllihi.1 l.llllllllllllicatiollS CeIHrl' is ayrojcct of the Nal11ihia Christian CommunicatiolH Trust, an ecumenical agen~y working in coop,'ration with churches in Africa, Europe and North America. NAMIBIA COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE Post Office Box 286, London WCIX OEL, U.K. Telephone:(44 1) 833 2905 Windhoek: September 12, 1986 THANKSGIVING SERVICE FOR "RESURRECTED CHURCH" IN NAMIBIA'S WAR ZONE A "resurrected" ~hurch in the heart of the Namibian war zone has opened lts doors once again after repeated acts of desecration by the South African army. The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit in Oshandi, northern Ovamboland, only eight miles from the Angolan ~ border, recently held a thanksgiving service attended by over 2,000 people, including the country's leading Anglican, Bishop James Kaul uma. When originally built, the Holy Spirit church .was left open on ~ne side, because of the hot climate. But over the years South African soldiers fighting SWAPO guerrillas had used it for camping, cooking and toilet purposes. It became derelict, unfit for worship. At the service of thanksgiving~ Canon Lazaraus Haukongo preached on the "r~surrected life". The church, he said,. had risen out of the ruins and destruction of war•.":. ,if, The new stone building, with all four walls and a roof now, was Ie-built by the local people themselves. "They were no longer dependent on the missionaries," says Rev. Roger Key, personal assistant to the bishop. "They took the initiative and covered the expenses. ~lthough there is a fear that the church may be terrorised again, they have the courage to build in the midst of war." The parishioners now plan to build a house for the parish priest, Rev. Lazarus Hiwilepo. The Church of th~ Holy Spirit is virtually alongside the "no-go area" from which all residents have beer:t cleared s9 ,as to give the army a free-fire zone along the border. One of the congregation at the thanksgiving service was the Rev. Stephen SoiL-bode, formerly parish priest of St. Luke's Epinga. Together with some members of his parish, he moved to Angola some years ago to escape intimidation by the armed forces. Father Shimbode rode on horse-back from his new parish, called Epinga-across-the border, to attend the service. It is a treacherous journey and both he and his wife have been assaulted by South African soldiers in the course of these crossings. End. The NJlllihiJ C"lllll111llicJtions Centre is J project of the NJlllibiJ ChristiJn CommunicJtio)ls Trust, In ecumenicJI J1(l'llcy working ill coopl'rJtioll with churches in Afrio, Europe Jnd North Amerio. 10 Thursday October 9 1ge5 ,THE NAMIBIAN Education in occupied NaJDibia continues to be organisedonthe b~isofapartheid.Threeseparate systeIDS (for whites, coloureds and blacks), exist, .J with gaps and inequalities between theD1 that-il lustrate SOD1e of the practical ways by which the racist regbne has atteD1pted to achieve its abn of D1aintainingwhite "supreD1aey". , ("~;'::~j Prior to the establishmentofthe ii- '\. ~.:'~,~ legal DemocraticTurnhalleAlliance I (DTA) Government, theresponsibility , ofeducationfor whites,~loureds and blacks rested with ~he South West ,'" Africa Administration, the Depart ment of Coloured Affairs of South I Africa, and the DepartmentofBantu \ '.' ., Education of South Africa " .., respectively.' " '" , This arrangement ensured South ,'«i,. " , Africancontrol overeducationfor the ", ,'ji/ ' . , II~ \ Namib.ians. The transfe~ of Africa~ , • ,'," yJJl.r _ __", I, "J~,.::: ~/: _;or!"'. _1.",.,£ . _- educationtotheSouth~canDepart r~The school statisticsalso conceateer-j Virtually all post-secOl~dary~duca- (aJ -offer an Integrated and skllls- ~entof,BantuEducatlOn meansthat tain facts, viz., 1) most of the lowel' tionandtraining o~NarrllblansIS con- based ,approach, thus, facilitating ItS Minister can now close a school or . h ls fi blacks all f ductedabroad. Whllethewhltes go to the acquisitiono"emp';""able us'"""l ' ' t h t' pnmary sc 00 or are sm ., , furth t di' l' "'J ~/U. anyclass fior AFricansa suc unesas '" fi th' be' 11 SouthAfncatopursue ers u es, skills through practical work' 'he deems advisable. van~usreaso~s or. elr Ingsma there has been little-opportunity for ' , ' .' WiththeestablishmentoftheDTA notWlthstanding,thisfactbo1stersthe the blacks to get any type of post- rb.)replacerotelearnl~b:>:onenta. " tratl've figure for the number of schools for ddt" tlon toward creatIVity and Government ,th e admilliS , I . . secan ary e uca lon. ._ If- l" ", situationwithregardtoeducationfor ; bla~ks; _2) the Size of the classes In In this context the arrangements i " se ·re ,lance, . Namibians has changed somewhat. Africanscho:ols aremuchlargerthan made by Swapo and the United Na- (c) asSISt stude.~ to develop, In- , t~ose in w~te schools -.over t~ tionsInstitutefor Namibiafor Nami-. tellectual ablll~les and apply, hav~,., Thus,educat10n18no·. 1ongerdiVI'ded timeslargermthelowerpnmaryumts . 1 . th' . bl'ans;"~ eXile to stUdy- abroad "S.:.',knowledge Intellzgently; and on1yaIong raCla. II'mes - l'tl'sdiVl'ded d'andtWlceas3)thargemt' eJUIllorsecon-f te h to beensignificant.,Asaresult Naniibia (d)promoteself-respect.' , ' andhuman along ethnicor triballinesandthepro- I ary unl~; he rIa 100 fi acAfrie:s willhaveasignificantpoolofqualified dzgnlty. l vision of primary and secondary _'schoo__s 18',muc ower or can' ,Nan:u'b'lans, most 0f w hom Wl'11 be 3. Thesucct;SSrul I~p.'le~ntatlOno,"f- ~ education and pre-primary teacher '\ schools (6:9:1) than that for whl~e available for employment. at aneweducationpollCylnlndependent . training is·the resPonsibility of the schools (16:8:1); 4) fewer te~chers .m'im1ependence.__. _ Namibiawillrequireaclosee:ramina- . "representative authorities", which AFrican s~h?ols are qual~ed .In RECOMMENDATIONS: ,tion ofthe problem.ofthe proui.sio,~'cif constitute the second tier of govern- teacher tr8.1Illng than those In white !. The new education system in in- ,!!achers. _ " ',,- " mental strucutre, schools; 5) as a ~e, .whlte teac?ers dependentNamibiashouldcorrectthe 4, ,Atthefunctionalleve~, second stage Structurally,schoolsinNamibiaare ear~ more thaJ:! siinilarly qual~ed wrongs perpetrated by the illegal education should be directed in tw.0' organised into four levels, viz., the Afncan te~chers; and 6) African regime.Itshouldrecognisetheneedfor' distinct directions - (l) the path of lower primary level (4 years), the schools recelve onlya fractIOn ofstate the.' "works and study"provided through hig~er primary level (3 years), the funding made available to the white (aJ urgent trainingoftechnicaland various non-formal education projee:ts JUnior secondary levels (3 years), and scbo.ols. ,professionalcadres at institutes.of such as correspondence studycombm- the senior sec?ndary level (2 years). , Theiilienomenalwastageratemthe technical and higher learning;,' edwitheveningclassesforworkersand Education IS compulsory for the entireeducatIOnal systemm Namibia (bJ " f k-o' tated., distance educatIOn through the mass whites from six to sixteen years, but is fully illustrated by the, ratio of pro~lSwn. 0 ~or /len d media; and (2) the path of"study an'd theschool enteringagefor theAFrican enrolments in Sub A and Form 5 for comp!"e efonsl~lel'tee ateuca IOdn an. work" which must be made available "h training r I t T1 an semI- children IS seven years andt e atten- anyone year. . ,, ' l'te ate ad lts. through the fOrmal educationstructure dance is not compulsory. ' These ratIOs were 574:1forNamibla, I r. u, d' "- 5. University educatiOn in an"'i'l-' Completionofprimaryeducationis 23:lforBotswanaand17:1forZambi~ (c)dlaYlng the fo udn at~n Of a I'~lel dependentNamibiashouldbealo;n"al l base don t h e passmg'f'0 successive ex, Indeed, the survlva. Irate0f anycoh0rt anN unwersa'b' fro e ucatlOn. thror ah extensIOn.'.ofthe liberation struggle"'-of 't' t th d f h h 1 f d 11 d' S 'b A' amI lans m primary roug aIDlna Ions a e en 0 eac sc 00 0 stu ents enro emu In d "level by th l fN' 'b' It h ld k year, 'NamibiaisoneofthelowestinAfrica. secon. ary to umverslty epeop e~ ami Ia. s.au mar., ,~, 'T'Lermma' I pom'ts are atStandard5 CIearIyth e policy 0f aparthel'd'IS thetramlng . . manyteachers andeduca- thebegmmngofthesecondphaseoftli.e-l'b' le lead' full ' • whichis the end ofthe primary cycle. primarycontributortothereasonsfor , tlOmsts now:' and I erationstrugg " tngto social ': and Standard 10, which IS the end of this internalinefficiency ineducation. (d) developlngthepeopWs cultural an~ economic m~epelldence. -The- the secondary cycle, _. _ __._ While most countries in Africa have creativity. ~':lVe.~ltJ:,must be m the vanguard of Education for ~hites IS free In madeaconcertedandsuecessfuleffort 2. A nine-year basic education prrr, . :.-c;se ,lnS_ltu~lOns mllolved- m -the 'Namibia, the AfrICans have on the to minimize wastate in the formal gramme for maSs educationandsocio- . "cono..mlc,s()clalandculturaldevelo~ otherhandalways hadto pay. fortheir educationsystem, there isnoevidence economic development should be con- ,ment oft~e nation.Itsho,uld b~ viewed education. There isa twofold mequali- ofanysucheffortinNamibiaexceptin sidered as a viable policy option. ,as an" Instrument of SOCial and ty in the financing of educatlOn for thefield ofeducationfor whiteswhere, Curriculum develOpment should be eco:ml.C~hangea~shouldref!ee:tthe whites and Africat;-S. 'thisproblem is almost non-existent. assigned prime importance in deter- nee an aspIratIOns ofNamlblan5. Fir~t, black pupils h~ve less t~an - Themajority of teachers in black mining the quality ofeducation. The 6. Jn~epelldent~.Namibi~,,should one-sixth of the allocabon for :vhltes schools are untrained. In 1976 ofthe content ofa' curriculum should help establISh a,unlverstty soon after in spento~ th7m. Second, education for total number of African teachers, 87 faciliiaie the socialisationofthe Nami- dependence. The Namibian universi the whi,tes IS compulsory, but not for per cent had no teacher training bian child in .the changed mileau tJ: - or more. broadl~ defin.ed, the ter. , the ~cans. qualifications at all and no sc~ool toward community development,. ti~ry educatIOn syste.m - must offer a Estimates for 1980. sugge~. that qualifications beyond Standard6, On- through a learningenvironmentwhich' widerangeofprofesslOnal«JUr8es, and therewere965schoolsmNamibla.0f lytwopercentofthetotalnumberhad is allied to the dominant activities ,not !"ely solelyon the ProfesSIOns in these 786 were'for the blacks,,107 for matriculation (Form 5) certificates, within the community. Broadly, 'the. busmess and IndUStry to train their ,thecoloureds, and72 forthe whites. He- Itwould seemthatall post-standard new curriculum fOr the nine-yearbasic ~anpower: It should establish profes cent ,fi~es, based 0':1 the 1981 10 teachertrainingcourses are now on- education should relate to the new swnal schools, s.uch as agriculture,' matrl:~tlOn,re9ultslIldarydica~tha~tF,e Iy offered atthe Academy for Thrtiat"y political andeconomic ruitionalgoals. 'mmmg, engmeermg, law, administra- n~ r seruorsecon . 00 or. Education. 'It should: ' tion, education, medicine, etc. Africans has ll'...alned static. The 1981 enrolment figure (35 students)suggeststhatthiseffortwill have only a marginaleffectonteacher availability at secondary schools. 7. Non-formal education projects Inthisproeessmanformsfundamen- 'resistance and perseverance'on the should be createdto eliminate illiteracy; - talpatternsofbehaviour_ attitudes, partoftheoppressedhastranscended to train service personnel (e.g. nurses' beliefs, workhabits, thoughtpatterns, the looming shadow ofmanipulation· aides midwives and physicians' etc. These patterns constitute the and falsification. Through,the com- assistants)· to improve agricultural creative process of man, that is, his', mon experience, of oppression and technique;throughextension services; culture. Through culture man ex- discrimination, a common feeling of to help leaders to improve th~~r leader- presses his world outlook. hope andshareddestinyhasemerged. shipcapacity; to instructfrunllr.esonbet- Namibian communities are rich in TheriseofAfricannationalismand ter health care and nutrition; and to traditional beliefs, myths and .. the subsequent development of a. ..':':" '~,'~~~~' .~: ~'" .~. /' '-)..,;"" .. ' :". :"~ ~\ : .f..."':.' -. FREEDOM • SOLIDARIT . JUSTICE .PUBLIC MEETING .. SUNDAY 27 JULY 1986 14hOO-18hOO ELLIS PARK SPORTS GROUND (NEXT TO SPEAKERS: LUTHERAN CHURCH) . NIKO BESSINGER KATUTURA HENDRIK WITBOOI . DAN TJONGARERO . . JERRY EKANDJO AND. OTHERS ECSA 339 Lafayette Street New York, N.Y. 10012-2725