Reports on Namibia: military, economic, political.

Reports on Namibia: military, economic, political

South Africa, over the last year, has continued to strengthen its military presence in Namibia by sharply augmenting the ranks of its occupation forces inside the Territory by recruiting large numbers of mercenaries and forcibly conscripting Namibians into its military machinery.

So states a working paper dated 7 May 1985, prepared by the Secretariat, on the subject of military activities in Namibia (A/AC.109/825) for the Special Committee on decolonization.

South Africa, the document states, has expanded and fortified its military bases in Namibia, especially along the border with Angola. A variety of military, paramilitary and police units have been deployed in Namibia to strengthen South Africa's illegal occupation and the apartheid system. The size and composition of the South African force in Namibia is generally estimated at 100,000.

The actual number of troops was reported to increase considerably when preparations were being made for military attacks on neighbouring States. South Africa's military spending for 1984 was to be increased by 21.4 per cent, an increase that would be the equivalent of $3 billion of a $20.7 billion budget.

While the vast majority of States have complied with the mandatory arms embargo against South Africa, some countries have continued to provide military support to Pretoria, the document goes on. Reports indicate that the development of South Africa's nuclear capability has been enhanced and accelerated by the collaboration of certain Western States.

South Africa, the paper states, has reportedly been engaged in a systematic campaign of destabilizing neighbouring States in an attempt to force them to cease support for the liberation struggle in southern Africa. By using Namibia as a launching pad, Pretoria has repeatedly committed acts of aggression against Angola.

South Africa has also reportedly been recruiting, training, financing and equipping mercenaries to cause instability and supplying "puppet groups" with military hardware and funds to attack the legitimate Governments of front-line States. A large number of dissidents from Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho have been trained to act against the Governments of their respective countries, it has been reported.

South Africa's programme of destabilization, says the paper, also includes attacks on agricultural, transport and energy projects of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) in Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Angola.

Economy: Another 7, May Secretariat paper on Namibia (A/AC.109/826) states that the basic structure of the Namibian economy is "typically colonial", almost exclusively tailored to the needs and demands of foreign capital. Virtually all the output of the economy's primary sectors is exported. Namibia is almost totally dependent upon South Africa. Structural inequalities in the earning capacity of blacks and whites are "alarming".

The foreign economic interests involved in the exploitation of Namibian resources include some of the world's largest corporations and financial institutions from South Africa, Western Europe and North America. The bulk of profits of transnational corporations is regularly repatriated to foreign shareholders.

Political aspects: A third Secretariat paper on Namibia (A/AC.109/824), dated 29 April, reports that South Africa has escalated suppression of any resistance to its illegal occupation of Namibia. "Ruthless political repression, racial discrimination and apartheid, gross violations of human rights and economic exploitation continued to characterize South Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia", it states.

Discriminatory laws and practices continue to govern health services, education, housing and all other aspects of daily life in Namibia. The living conditions of black Namibians remain appalling. The labour force has been consistently denied the right to organize trade unions. Education for blacks in Namibia is based on the premise that they are to be trained for subservient jobs allocated to them under the colonial economy, it concludes.