·
·
·
The South African government
extended its policies of separate development into Namibia. The policy relied
on separating non-whites from whites on the basis of land, labor, education and
political power.
·
During the 'Mandate era' the
South African government imposed a land division in which the whites, with 12
percent of the population, were left with 60 percent of land, the rest being
given to the Africans as reserve areas.
·
A dangerous situation developed at
Windhoek in 1958 when 30,000 Africans were required to move from the 'old
location' of the town to Katutura, a town 8 kilometers away that had
nothing to recommend it.
·
The UN was informed of the
resettlement by Chief Hosea Kutaro, Chief Samuel Witbooi and Sam Nujoma.
·
A Boycott of Municipal services was
organized but this did not stop the relocations going ahead. One crown of
demonstrators was fired on by the police, resulting in the death of eleven
and wounding of 44 people.
·
Employment in Namibia was organized
in the same way as in the South African republic. Africans provided a source of
cheap labor, which was a short-term migrant in form.
·
They were never allowed to stay
permanently in 'white areas'. Job discrimination in favor of the whites
was widespread and reinforced by law.
·
Unskilled or semiskilled work was
usually the most for Africans. Though trade Unions were not illegal, strike
action was forbidden.
·
In December 1971 about 2.000 African
workers were prevented from choosing and changing their jobs freely.
·
The protest only gained small
benefits for the workers but it did demonstrate that resistance to the South
African presence was not limited to guerrilla activity or petitioning at the UN
or OAU.
·
An inferior education was provided
to Africans. Most Africans did not move beyond the lower primary levels. The
basis of modem Apartheid system was the formation of Bantustans in reserve
areas with nominal self-governments and on ethnic lines.
·
In 1968 the South African Parliament
through the Development of Native Nations in South West Africa passed an Act
which provided for the creation of six Bantustans - Ovamboland, Damanaland,
Hcreroland, Kaokoland, Okavango land and Eastern Caprivi.
·
On 1st August 1973,
Ovamboland held elections to fill 56 seats, 36 of which were already appointed
and only 6 were contested. A successful boycott of the election was organized
and only 1.6 percent of the 50,000 electors voted.
·
The enforcement of these policies
was achieved by the same legal machinery as in the South African Republic.
·
The suppression of the Communism
Act, the Immorality Act, Terrorism Act, curfew arrangements and pass laws were
all meant to suppress any opposition to government policy. The effect of these
policies was dismembered country from some world organizations, limited
opportunities in education and employment and reduction of political power,
which led to the growth of locally organized nationalist groups.
·
They were intended to gain
independence and prevent the Namibia to be under South African Republic.
·
The suffering and cry of Africans
was taken to the UN General Assembly and Namibia became a Trusteeship
territory, but Smut's and Dr. Malan blocked the move.
·
Reverends Michale Scott, Mburumbi
Kerina, Hans Boukes; the Rehoboth leaders, Oliver Tambo, lariretundu Kozonguizi
and Sam Nujoma between 1950 - 1971 tried to help the Africans in Namibia, but
all these efforts were unsuccessful and failed to force South Africa out of
Namibia.
·
The western powers feared to
confront the Republic of South Africa on the issue. Resolutions by the UN were
incapable and policies of exploitation and apartheid continued in Namibia until
it got independence.
·
\
·
·
Why South
Africa occupied South West Africa (Namibia) after 19191 in 1919
·
·
The defeat of German in the first
world war 1914- 1919 y the allied powers.
·
South Africa convinced the League of
Nations members of her capacity to develop the area.
·
The economic potential and viable
resources in the area, like fishing, mineral extraction, etc.
·
South Africa occupied South West
Africa for political, reasons, security and strategic reasons.
·
The fertility of the soils.
·
The area was market for South
African Industrial products.
·
Many white investors and hardliner
Afrikaaners wished to control the area.
·
Pressure from racist Afrikaaners who
were also adventures.
·
The general lack or absence of
African rationalists among the people at the time. If it was there, it was at
low pace by colonial workers and the educated.
·
The warrior traditional among the
Africans could not threaten the Afrikaaners in occupying the area.
·
Many nationalists among the few who
existed were divided along tribal, religions, philosophical or ideological
lines. The influence of the western powers.
·
The influence of 'Nazism' and
Apartheid.
·
Social Darwinism among the Dutch or
Afrikaaners.
·
Personal ambitions of hardliners
Dutch leaders.
·
·
·
THE
STRUGGLE CONTINUED 1910-1990
·
·
South West
Africa Or Namibia Under South African Imperialism (1919-1990)
·
Between 1914 - 1919, the Germans
were defeated in Word War 1. After this defeat, Namibia was declared a mandated
territory to South Africa by the League of Nations.
·
South Africa in Trusteeship was
requested to administer Namibia on behalf of the League of Nations.
·
In 1939, however the League of
Nations collapsed. The newly formed United Nations Organization (UNO) in 1945
agreed that the mandated territories should become trust territories of the
United Nations Organization.
·
In 1960 the south African mandate
was terminated in favor of Namibian independence but South Africa refused and
made Namibia part of South Africa- as a fifth province of the Union of south
Africa.
·
In 1960 independent African states
of Liberia and Ethiopia challenged South African control over Namibia at the
International Court at Hague.
·
After six years of proceedings in
1966 the international court at Hague revoked South Africa's mandate over
Namibia and the UNO resolved to guide it to her independence.
·
In reaction, apartheid South Africa
implemented the ODENDAAL plan of 1964, which incorporated Namibia into the
Republic of South Africa.
·
The apartheid policy was equally
introduced in Namibia gazetting it into 9 ethnic homelands and the rest of
Namibia was established as white settlements.
·
Such Apartheid laws like pass laws,
labor laws and military spying machinery were introduced in Namibia. This
resulted into the rise of nationalist organizations in Namibia to struggle for
independence, which was achieved in 1990.
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