Mr. Peter Nanyemba, Chief Representative, said the only way to end apartheid in Namibia was to expel South Africa from Namibia. South Africa was making propaganda in the towns and villages of Namibia by pointing out the weaknesses of the UN and telling the people that UN resolutions were never implemented. The only way to get South Africa out of Namibia was by force.
Mr. Ben Amathila, Information Officer, said the United Nations should not seek a dialogue with South Africa, since South Africa said that the only possible settlement was one on its terms. A dialogue was reminiscent of the British and Hitler on the eve of World War II. If the UN could not get rid of South Africa, the people would. There was no possibility of a dialogue.
Mr. Nanyembasaid the liberation movements could not supply all the needs such as food, medicine, schools and transport. The UN should help the national liberation movements in southern Africa and should give direct help to the victims in Namibia. In Zambia there were some 3,000 refugees from the fighting in Namibia. The UNHCR helped but it was not enough. Education was required. SWAPO would not refuse any help from the United Nations. However, the time for moral assistance was passed. Material aid was what was required now.
He said there was no intention of forming a Government in Exile, since there was no purpose to this. In any case, it would not help the position of the host governments at a time when South Africa was threatening them.
He said SWAPO had had no contact with UN specialized agencies regarding food, medicine and education.
The Council for Namibia should act more than at present. When in Tanzania, the Council had promised to get implementation of UN decisions but that appeared just to be talk for newspapers.
Mr. Amathilasaid the Council for Namibia had been given a mandate to establish an administration in Namibia and that was its first task. He realized the limitations of the Council would not be overcome without the full participation of Security Council members. The Council was a play thing used by South Africa to convince the people of Namibia that the UN was useless. The Security Council had to give the Council forces.
If the Namibia Council did not act it was useless to have such a Council that could not carry out its mandate.
Mr. Nanyembasaid SWAPO knew how South Africa felt towards it. If there was any possibility for a dialogue, the Council would know about that, not SWAPO which did not have any idea that such a dialogue was possible.
Mr. Amathilasaid South Africa had always wanted to annex South West Africa as its fifth province and never changed that intention. South Africa wanted to divide the country into two parts, with the South for the Whites and linked to South Africa. South Africa will never assent to any solution where the Africans were a power to be reckoned with. There was no solution based on a dialogue with South Africa that would keep Namibia intact.
If South Africa would not quit Namibia on its own, the United Nations must do everything to force it out. The people of Namibia, under the leadership of SWAPO, would help the UN to do this. However, UN assistance must be supplementary to that of the liberation movement which would never give up its struggle until Namibia was independent, intact.
Mr. Nanyemba said the Council for Namibia should co-ordinate assistance with the OAU.
Mr. Joseph Ithana, Deputy Director of Information, said the UN Council for Namibia was in New York while Namibia was in the southern part of Africa. If the Council came again to Africa, it must be to make its presence felt.
The UN could go to the International Court regarding the Namibian question to get a final answer on the merits of the case.
Mr. Nanyemba said the matter of the Court had only been mentioned because a member of the Committee had raised the matter. Once, the people of Namibia had believed that only the United Nations could save them. But now South Africa had a whip to use on the UN because its own decisions had not been implemented. The people of Namibia would hate the United Nations more because of the non-implementation of its resolutions. The policy of SWAPO was that freedom rested in its own hands.
He said in reply to a question that a Committee of Jurists to expose South Africa’s racial policy would be useful. But SWAPO would not get involved with its creation. However, if such a committee wished to consult with SWAPO, it would give it its views.
He said if the UN felt it could not implement a resolution then there was no need to adopt it. The issues should still continue to be raised in the United Nations, but it should be remembered that South Africa did use resolutions that were not implemented to say to the people of Namibia that the UN made promises which it could not deliver and it was therefore useless. Resolutions which helped the people of Namibia should be the ones that were adopted.
The permanent members of the Security Council knew that one way to keep South Africa alive was not to support UN resolutions. Resolutions should not be adopted that could never be implemented. Resolutions adopted on the various trials were helpful and South Africa felt the pressure on such matters.
The real material on what happened in Namibia should come from SWAPO, and that it was prepared to supply to the UN.
Mr. Ithanasaid South Africa’s expulsion from the United Nations would not change South Africa’s policies but merely strengthen its hand in taking independent action and assist those who help South Africa. Expulsion would not change the position regarding Namibia, but just make matters worse.
Since a change in the UN Charter was unlikely regarding power for the Afro-Asians and the Latin Americans, assistance to the armed struggle was what was required. It should be remembered, however, that if the struggle was intensified the Big Powers would try to support measures in the United Nations to help South Africa whichever its position. Material assistance should be sent to the liberation movements either through the OAU or directly.
While the issue was kept alive in the United Nations the West would only clandestinely give arms to South Africa. Creation of a Government in Exile would mean that there was no way of keeping the issue alive in the United Nations.
The representatives of SWAPO agreed to consider suggestions that when the Security Council held a meeting on Namibia they would make available immediately to committee members, their reaction to proposals made in the debate and have someone in New York to inform them of their reactions.
Mr. Nanyembasaid SWAPO would welcome any scholarships for information purposes or for anything else. The Council of Namibia should prepare a pamphlet and get information from SWAPO on what was happening in Namibia. The pamphlet should show the work of the Council for Namibia and reflect the information supplied by SWAPO.
Mr. Amathilasaid the problems of southern Africa were one and South African troops were sent to the Portuguese territories and southern Rhodesia. Once Namibia was independent, the people of South Africa would benefit, since Namibia was the immediate neighbour. A defeat of South Africa in Namibia would benefit all in southern Africa.
Mr. Nanyembasaid the liberation movements were as close as one pair of shoes regarding southern Africa as a whole.
He said a UN radio transmitter and UN broadcasts to southern Africa would be welcomed by all liberation movements. The transmitter should be put up in a country close to southern Africa. SWAPO had the trained staff to have a permanent staff work where the transmitter was.
The Council of Namibia must establish some relations with the liberation movements. If it did not want to be associated directly with SWAPO, it could do that through the OAU and the Liberation Committee.
The UNHCR did not recognize SWAPO members as refugees, but regarded them as freedom fighters. SWAPO did not apply for assistance through UNHCR because it knew UNHCR policy.