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SOUTH WEST
AFRICA (NAMIBIA)
A lradil ional saying is lhal wives ot otficials sent lo Windhoek.
capital of South West Africa. cry when they learn where they
are being assigned. Bul when they leave " South West," they
weep. lmmigrants and even vlsilors quickly grow to love the
largely arid, inhospitable countryside. Windhoek. moreover. be–
cause ot lts size (population 65.000) is one of lhe few compre–
hendible capital clties in lhe world. South Wesl Africa is eth-
White Settlements
and
Cotoured Townships
nically rich and variad, being home to a dozen black, brown,
Watvis Bay
(l'IEPU8liC
Of'
SOUTH
AFRICA)
and while population groups. The areas delineated on the map
commenced as projecled homelands, much as lhe soon-to–
be-independent Transkei in Soulh Africa. Now, however , they
are marked out as protected areas conferring property right
preeminence on each lndigenous group. From these " home areas. " how–
ever, thousands continually migrate to jobs in tar-off towns and farms.
In Windhoek and as lar soulh as Keetmanshoop one sees Ovambo,
Herrero, Kavango, and Damara men and women
working away from home l o improve their living
standards. Political leaders In few developing
countries have dlsplayed as much common
sense as lhose in South Wesl Africa have in
coming to grlps with thelr political future, their
human and envi ronmenlal dilferences and de–
f ic iencias , and their need to r one another. The
question is: Do the big powers have equal common sense
and self-reslrainl?
even the Hereros. Many Ovambos
are. however. more prospcrous than
Namas and Bushmen. for example.
l f there were no constitutional prop–
erty safeguards until greater eco–
nomic equality were achieved, the
poorer minori ties would soon be
displaced. landless waifs.
No Room for Hatred
No matter how circumspect the
Ovambo leadership may now be. it
is a fact of human nature that there
is always the temptation to domí–
nate minorities once majority políti–
ca! power is attained. Witncss the
disenfranchisement of the Co–
loureds from the voting rolls in
South Africa. a matter that many
South African whites are seriously
rethinking.
But Jet us take the problem one
step further. Suppose communist–
supported revolutionaries were to
pressure the Ovambos and one
other group - Damaras or Ka–
vangos - into siding with SWAPO.
There would be an immediate vot-
The
PLAIN TRUTH September 1976
ing majority. And communists or
communist sympathizers would
soon be in power as they already are
in Mozambique and Angola.
True, many who have sided with
SWAPO "know next to nothing
about communism. Those who
m~y
have read
Das Kapital
by Karl
Marx did it purely for intellectual
pursuits" - in the words of the edi–
tor of
Namibia Today,
the publica–
tion organ of SWAPO. But when
Namibia Today
also proclaims on
another occasion: "We are not deal–
ing witb sane people in southern Af–
rica. What we are dealing with
down there [in the government of
South Africa] are demented racist
and fascist bigots deprived of any
sense of humanity. The only thing
they understand is the rifle bullet"
- tbere can be absolutely no doubt
in anyone's mind that the brains be–
hi nd this revolutionary movement
are communist.
Such vile hatred is utterly un–
founded. My wife and
l
personally
met and discussed at length the
<j)
Windhoek
ffi
K~tmanshoop
Map by Ron
Lepeska
problems of South West Africa with
members of the South African cabi–
net and with the deputy speaker of
Parliament in Capetown, as well as
with Mr. Daniel Luipert, head of
the Nama delegation, Dr. Benjamin
Africa of the Rehoboth Basters. and
M r. Andries Kloppers of the Co–
loureds in South West Africa.
All of these men are dedicated
individuals. concerned about the
preservation of minority rights and
the enhancement of educational and
economic opportunities. They are
aware of the faults. injustices. and
failings of the past and present. But
they have the good sense and judg–
ment to know that cooperation and
tolerance - not hatred. bloodshed.
and revolution - is the only road to
a secure future.
For the United States and other
free nations of the Western world to
overlook the solid accomplishments
already under way in South West
Africa would be a great human
tragedy.
o
(To be continued)
35