NEWS COMMENTARY, RADIO KWARA,ILORIN
THURSDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER, 1989.
TITLE: An Update On The Namibian Independence Process
WRITER: LANRE KAWU
After thirty years in exile, Comrade Sam Nujoma, the President of the South West African Peoples Organization (SWAPO), returns to Windhoek today, to lead SWAPO’s campaign for the Independence election, which takes place in November. The immediate backdrop to Sam Nujoma’s return, was the murder of Anton Lebowzki, the 37 years old white lawyer, who is the vice chairman of the SWAPO campaign. A man who was expected to build a bridge of understanding to the minority white community.
The latest murder was linked with the extreme right wing group called the White Wolves,a shadowy bunch of thugs, which claimed responsibility for the bombing of the office of the United NationsTransition Assistance Group (UNTAG) in the North of Namibia, during which an UNTAG guard was killed.In the past few days, members of the White Wolves have also sent threats to the Editor of THE NAMIBIAN newspaper, Miss Gwen Lister, a progressive white lady, who supports the national liberation movement. Last year, in fact, the press of THE NAMIBIAN newspaper, was bombed by members of the same organisation.
There are speculations in Windhoek, that members of the White Wolves terrorist group, are linked with the recently de disbanded counter – insurgency unit, the KOERVERTS, which had been on the rampage in Northern Namibian, and had perpetrated the massacre of April this year, at the opening of the UN Independence programme.
The liberation struggles in Namibian and South Africa have been so fiercely fought against entrenched minority privileges. As the tide of the liberation forces grow stronger, the minority becomes more desperate and begins to resort to assassinations and intimidations. This was witnessed in the Algerian and Zimbabwean wars of national liberation.
South Africa and Namibian in the 1970s were also the haven for neo-fascist thugs from South America, who came to teach the vicious methods of torture, executions, and massacres that have become an integral part of apartheid aggression. In Namibian today, extra-judicial execution, as has been witnessed in the Killing of Anton Lekowzki this week, has become a very dangerous trend. It is also linked with the fact that the South African regime and the reactionary sections of the white population, know that the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) cannot hope to defeat SWAPO, in the forthcoming elections.
The present situation in Namibian, now bears out the African states, when they agitated against the decision of the UN security council to cut the numbers of troops and policemen drafted to help in the implementation of Resolution 435. What needs to be done now, to keep Resolution 435 on track is to actually send in more UN personnel to supervise the South African machinery in the territory.
The whole world should, in the meantime pressurize the South African Administrator, Louis Peenar, to do everything possible to stop the activities of the extreme right-wing group, called the White Wolves.
Finally, we are joining the whole world, in welcoming Comrade Sam Nujoma back home, and in recognizing how much he worked for the liberation of his people.