REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE WITHIN NAMIBIA. FEBRUARY 1977 The past year is one which has seen a consolidation of resistance to the South African regime within Namibia, and the participation in that resistance of increasing numbers azd different sectors of our people. Eight groups from different areas of Namibia disbanded to join SWAPO last year. These were: f A'DO -the Namibian African People Organisation L-> The 'Rehoboth Volksparty The Hoachanas group The Witbooi group The Vaalgras group The Caprivi African National Union . -C 1 - , -.'. more groups are showing an interest in doing the same. There is virtually no popular support for the Turnhalle nor any belief that it can bring any solution or any change to Namibia. SWAPO is now drawing its support from every sector of the population-workersstudents,peasants-and from every socalled ethnic group. Resistance has been taking on new forms. Students at the Martin Luther High School at Omaruru at Cornelius Goraseb High School in Khorixas, destroyed or refused to sit their examinations. What began partly in sympathy with the students of Soweto rapidly became an expression of the Namibian students' own hatred of the same educational policy and apartheid philosophy. In other schools there were also boycotts of examinations and the distribution of anti Bantu-education leaflets. Over 1000 students have been involved in these boycotts. Some 30 have left the country. In addition about 200 Nama teachers stopped work in Gibeon in the south of Namibia in protest at the separate salary scales for Nama and Coloured teachers. In November over 700 workers at Rio Tinto Zinc's ROssing Uranium mine went on strike over the repressive restrictions imposed on them at the mine. Resistance is also to be seen in the growing Namibian rather than ethnic identity of our peoplel in the demonstrations and pickets outside .the Turnhalle and outside the South African courts; in the SWAPO public meetings which are held almost weekly throughout the country, in the locations, at the mines and within the reservesp in the discussion groups being formed throughout the country to serve as a vehicle for local mobilisation and political education. There is a virtual black-out in the press about these demonstrations of resistance, but they do not go unnoticed by the South African regime. Repression and intimidation of our people because of their resistance is mounting all the time. Beatings, torture, shootings, have become everyday events in the north and common treatment for all who do not support the illegal Boer regime. one recent development has been the issuing of Nazi- etyle cards to identify the asupporters" for the various Turnhalle delegations. Those without such a card are taken to be SWAPO supporters and find they are denied medical care and jobs, and that they * . "1; -1 are immediate targets for intimidation. Just as SWAPO's support is increasing, so too are the regime's attempts to undermine this support at all levels. The South Africans are mounting an extended propaganda campaign against SW.APO as the corollary to their expensive propaganda aimed at promoting the Turnhalle. In November anti- SwApo comic strips began to appear which had covers depicting an armed - black gunning- down a white priest. Pamphlets have also been distributed in the north which show SWAPO President Sam Nujoma and SWAPO Secretary for Information and Publicity. inside Namibia, Daniel TJongarero, with lions heads, devouring little children. Also in November last year, the South Africans brought back to Namibia two former SWAPO members, Emil Appolus and Dr. Mburumba Kerina, who are now promoting the Turnhalle talks and being used by the South Africans in their anti-SWAPO campaign. These people have returned to Namibia in the search for political power and material advantage, for which they are prepared to use their fellow Namibians..The Namibian people's rejection, however, of Appolus and Kerina is as categorical as their rejection of South African rule. The growing strength of their resistance can be seen in the growing desperateness of the South African regime's measures to try to retain control..