Vorster manoeuvres with Namibian traitors

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Minister Vorster last week accepted Western proposals for the transition to 'independence' in Namibia.

The proposals worked out by the USA, Britain, Canada, France and West Germany consist of a ceasefire in the war of liberation; introduction of a UN "peace-keeping" force to replace all but 1,500 South African troops: the holding of an election under UN supervision to decide which nationalist group should form a government.

Vorster's decision to accept was heavily influenced by three specific concessions' by the Big Five.

Ceasefire

The complete сег sefir ould be before any educ tion in South African ground forces (some 22,000); the existing South West Africa police force will continue to maintain law and order during the transitional period which would obviously include the period of the elections; and the strategic port of Walvis Bay would not fall within the scope of the independence terms.

Issue

In his statement Vorster said that the issue of whether troops would remain after the elections would be decided by the Constituent Assembly (originally the plan called for all such forces to go one week after polling).

Within Namibia the pressure to build up the influence of the Turnhalle Democratic Alliance (DTA) is underway.

The DIA is an alliance white conservatives and reactionary tribal chiefs. Its chairman is Dirk Mudge, a former member of the local branch of the ruling South African Nationalist Party.

One step which the DTA has taken is to take over ownership and control (through a German millionaire resident in Namibia) of the Windhoek Advertiser and the Allgemeine Zeitung, two papers critical of the DTA.

Another step taken against the SWAPO liberation fighters has been the introduction of emergency powers following the assination a few weeks ago of DTA leader Clemmens Kapuuo.

Arrested

Under the increased powers, many of SWAPO's leaders have been arrested.

Miss Lucy Hamutenya, one of the last remaining Vorster SWAPO Executive members who is still free said on 27 April that since 4 April, 31 members had been detained.

She reported threats to assassinate a SWAPO leader as reprisal for Kapuuo's killing.

SWAPO's response to the proposals has been to restate the position that guerrilla war is the only way-but in a statement to this effect, President Sam Nujoma stopped short of absolute rejection.

This is a clear warning sign to Namibian workers and peasants, as increasing pressure is applied to SWAPO leaders to accept the terms of these proposals.

It is essential that liberation fighters continue an armed struggle strategy based on the independent mobilisation of the masses.

Central to this mobilisation is the demand for a constituent assembly-a demand which must be tied to the dissolution of the existing state: namely the army, the civilian administration and the courts.