Swapo Betrayals Help S. Africa's Namibia

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SWAPO guerrillas with captured South African prisoner of war The Namibian election held last month under the control of South Africa resulted in the expected victory for the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance.

According to the official figures the DTA secured a reputed 81% of the vote. With 93% of the registered electorate taking part in the ballot this would mean that the DTA are claiming support from 75% of those eligible to vote.

The poll was contested by the DTA, Aktur, and three small extreme rightwing splinter groups. The 50 assembly seats were divided 41/9 between the DTA and Aktur.

SWAPO and the Namibia National Front refused to take part in the election preferring one which was controlled by the United Nations.

"Militant' Despite this 'militant' stance it is the antics of SWAPO itself which have played a not inconsiderable part in preparing the present situation.

South Africa was initially forced to negotiate because of the strong forward movement of the Namibian masses and the threat of a protracted guerrilla war.

Now South Africa faces a far more favourable situation brought about by the connivance of the SWAPO leadership and imperialism.

After having appeared to be co-operating with a UNimperialist plan for a neocolonial solution in which SWAPO participated, the South African government announced that it would be holding South African controlled elections in December.

Vague prospect

At the same time, eager to provide the imperialists with an excuse for continued negotiations, the South Africans held out the vague prospect of UN controlled elections after the South African ones.

As Socialist Press no 123 pointed out when these events were occurring:

«With Aktur and the DTA pressing for early elections controlled by anyone other than itself South Africa has now decided to fall back on its own plan ...

"The South Africans have made maximum use of SWAPO's betrayals and equivocations on the question of elections.

"A massive registration of voters has been forceorganised. Aware that SWAPO would refuse to participate in South African controlled • elections they have connived a situation in which its two pet political fronts, Aktur and the DTA, are assured of an electoral victory.

"All that South Africa requires is that the prospect of UN elections is delayed until there is strong rightwing 'internal' control over Namibia.

"And while the imperialists negotiated the South African army and police contrived their campaign of terror with unlimited powers to detain indefinitely anyone whose actions were held "to promote violence or intimidation."

"Internal opposition leaders have been faced with stepped-up repression. This, coupled with political confusion sown by the SWAPO leadership, made internal SWAPO mobilisations almost impossible."

Socialist Press also pointed to the crucial role of 'Marxist' Neto in ensuring SWAPO connivance with the imperialist plan.

"Co-operation from Angola is, of course, essential to the Western plan.

"Imperialism has wooed President Neto from his 'left' rhetoric by playing on South African premier Botha the economic and political crises facing his regime.

"The bait of economic investment was most likely coupled with an offer to limit or even stop supplies of imperialist arms to the rebel forces of UNITA which still wages a guerrilla campaign against Neto.

"Opportunistically sacrificing the interests of the Angolan and Namibian masses to the short-term benefits of co-operation with imperialism. Neto gave his support to the UN From the time of SWAPO's initial involvement in the imperialist plans to secure a 'compromise' 'negotiated settlement, South Africa has been provided with an increasingly favourable situation in which to protect its own political and economic interests in Namibia.

The connivance of imperialists, 'radical' frontline states and the SWAPO leadership has allowed South Africa to strengthen its own agents, step up security controls inside Namibia, increase attacks on SWAPO guerrillas and repression of SWAPO internally, all with the de facto protection of the Fullest Even as the SWAPO leadership and Neto cooperated in terms of the imperialist plan to curb the activities of SWAPO fighters South Africa was making the fullest use of the opportunity to strengthen reactionary forces inside Namibia, committed to the defence of South African and imperialist interests:

*South African troop strengths have been increased.

*Conditions of near martial law have been extended.

*Terror raids have been stepped up against SWAPO and refugee camps.

*Waves of arrests of militants inside Namibia have taken place.

*Black tribal guards loyal to the DTA leaders have been re-organised and rearmed.

*Black army units Namibia have been developed *A Namibian paratroop unit has been established.

*Whites have been organised into civil defence units.

In addition to all this there are clear indications of the formation of right-wing terror squads.

At the same time South Africa set about using the conditions it had established to strengthen right wing forces politically.

Massive finance poured in from South Africa and imperialism to boost the DTA.

While repression against SWAPO and the NNF were stepped up throughout the country, the DTA was given every assistance to build an effective national presence.

State and private capitalist media combined to give it massive publicity and propaganda support.

Using all these factors and SWAPO's declared committment to an election, South Africa then publicly broke from the UN plan, in order to pursue directly what had been its goal all along-the entrenchment of a pro-imperialist, pro-South Africa 'independent' government.

Acceptance

Even then although they made public noises of opposition, the imperialists conceded a de facto acceptance of the South Africacontrolled elections.

The SWAPO leadership meanwhile, continued to place its full confidence in the imperialist powers, arguing that the South African elections should be opposed because they represented a departure from the imperialist plan!

It was in this situation of an equivocating, vacillating leadership tied to imperialism; front line states promoting the imperialist plan because of their own dependence on imperialism; massive repression; enormous ruling class support for the DTA; and total ruling class control over the state, the economy and the media, that the South Africans force organised the registration and the Succeeded The fact that South Africa has succeeded in what it set out to doentrench a friendly, 'independent' government which has de facto recognition from imperialism-immeasurably strengthens its nego tiating positions as regards a further UN-supported elecSWAPO leader Nujoma tion.

The fact that it was able to do so at a time when SWAPO-far from providing a revolutionary alternative to the imperialist plan-was actually tying itself more and more closely to the imperialists, shows nothing more clearly than the danger posed to the mass struggle by the SWAPO leadership.

Recognition

The oppressed masses in Namibia now face an increasingly difficult situation.

The DIA electoral victory means that in any future negotiations, whatever the rhetoric and posturing imperialism will have to concede a de facto recognition to a DIA government.

Already the DTA has made it quite clear that it will use the size of its election victory as a weapon in the struggle to challenge even further the already marginal international recognition of SWAPO as the only representative of the Namibian people.

Inside Namibia it is to be expected that the DTA will attempt a programme of limited reforms while at the same time strengthening the forces of reaction militarily.

This and its existing monopoly of the media and control of key government institutions will be used to boost the DTA image even further.

We can also expect attempts to woo 'moderate' SWAPO leaders via the patronage now in the hands of the DTA.

This will be a necessary move given the inherent instability of the DTA, artificially boosted as it is by South Africa.

However, now that it has 'won' the election further efforts to keep it together will be forthcoming from its white leaders.

SWAPO's support will undoubtedly be undermined by all this and political confusion will grow amongst some layers of the oppressed masses.

The origin of this confusion lies squarely with SWAPO. It is above all SWAPO's ties with imperialism which have facilitated the growth of the DTA.

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The Workers Socialist League has always maintained its unconditional support for the struggles of Irish socialists and republicans against British imper-