The practise of oppression is so vital to the South African system that when South Africa attempts to set up "independent" states they fool no-one. This is not suprising when one considers how the South African government has tried to give Namibia (South-West Africa) independence, while still controlling the semination.

An example of how Namibia works can be seen in an investigation of the elections that were held there in December of last year. Originally to be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, South Africa took over running them with the vote being taken some four months ahead of the UN schedule. Under South African administration, coercion and intimidation combined to produce the expected victory of the South African backed Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) which polled about two thirds of the 330,000 votes cast.

The election was declared null and void by the United Nations. SWAPO (The South West Africa People Organisation) which has been fighting a guerilla war for the true independence of Namibia, declared a boycott of the elections. Yet overall there was a 93% voter registration and a 81% voter turnout. Superficially it would appear that SWAPO's call had been ignored, that it failed to gain the support of the Namibian people. Yet the true story tells a rather different tale.

SWAPO's call failed/not because people did not heed it, but rather because the South African administrators of the election conducted a deliberate campaign to force the people to register, and further to ensure that when they did vote, that they voted for the "official" South African backed party - the DTA.

This policy was to have the combined effects of installing a puppet government, giving South Africa cause to spuriously claim it had the backing of the Namibian people, and to discredit SWAPO. There were a wide variety of tactics that the administration used in this campaign. The most widely publicised were the use of registration cards to harrass the people.

Because they were issued to all Namibians the registration cards soom became used by South African authorities as identity cards. Blacks were required to carry them at all times, and later it even became compulsory to carry DTA membership cards! Any person found without a "registration card" was liable to be beaten up by the police, while anyone who lacked a DTA membership card was automatically regarded as a member of SWAPO or a guerilla. In either case the result was arrest or detention.

The pressure for membership was also carried out through the tribal chiefs. If any member failed to register, either for the elections or for the DTA, tribal members would lose their rights to work the communally held land.

Other indirect threats came in the form of witholding pensions and hospital facilities from those who had failed to register. White employers threatened to sack those who did not register and vote. For instance, Rio-Tinto-Zine's Rossing Uranium Mine threatened widespread dismissals. Most other large corporations did likewise.

The 400 Mobile Polling Booths (MPBs) were the other major device used to rig the elections. They were empowered to enter any village (often accompanied by military forces) day or night. Troops rounded up voters, took them to the booths, and without informing them of their right to choose between the various parties, forced them to vote. Those who identified themselves by a thumbprint were deemed illiterate and had their ballot papers filled in for them. This affected up to 40% of the rural population.

More Abuses

The History of Namibia

Namibia, a German colony from 1884-1915, had been administered by South Africa since the First World War. With the threat of a liberated Zimbabwe, Namibia is the last remaining buffer state between South Africa and 'black' Africa. The Turnhalle proposals, if implemented, would enable South Africa to continue treating Namibia as yet another Black reserve. The experience in the ten "Bantustans" that already exist in South Africa clearly indicate that, rather than allowing the Africans the "opportunity to develop separately", the Bantustans are merely plots of land where the Africans can settle down and die.

In 1977, however, the USA, UK, West page 9[unclear: rmany], and Canada told South Africa [unclear: at] the Turnhalle proposals were [unclear: unaccc-ble]. Their alternative was apparently [unclear: cpted] by South Africa in April 1978[unclear: d] by SWAPO in July.

Waldheim Proposals"

This led to UN Secretary/General Kurt [unclear: Idheim] sending a special representative Namibia in August to finalise the "[unclear: Waldim] proposals" which were adopted by the [unclear: urity] Council in September 1978. These [unclear: olved] a UN Transition Assistance Group [unclear: NT AG)] of 7,500 troops plus an [unclear: interna-nal] civilian group to supervise fair [unclear: elec-ns] in which SWAPO was willing to take [unclear: rt]. South African and SWAPO troops [unclear: uld] gradually withdraw from their [unclear: ba-] and leave the country. SWAPO was [unclear: tain] to win the elections, leaving South [unclear: rica] surrounded by hostile liberated [unclear: sta-]

Vorster's resignation in September coined with South Africa's "internal [unclear: settle-nt]" announcement that the Turnhalle [unclear: ctions] would take place on 4-8 [unclear: Decem-] South Africa had accurately [unclear: calcula-] that the Western "contact groups" [unclear: wou-] not implement sanctions against her and [unclear: en] five foreign ministers visited South [unclear: A-ca] in October, all they could extract was [unclear: ledge] that South Africa would pressurise [unclear: a] "new administration" to hold more [unclear: ele-ons] some time in 1979.

[unclear: Military] Build-up

Meanwhile, South Africa has amassed [unclear: 000] troops in Northern Namibia which [unclear: we] continued to make raids into Angola, [unclear: 10] November. President Neto announced [unclear: it] 40 people had been killed during the [unclear: ek] in raids launched from Namibia. [unclear: An-la] has now been placed on war footing [unclear: d] is expecting a major offensive from the [unclear: uth] African regime.