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Remembering SA's Acceptance of Western Plan
2006-04-28Staff Report 2 "By Staff Reporter WINDHOEK This week marked 28 years since the then South African Prime Minister Johannes Balthazar Voster announced his govern-ment's acceptance of the Western initiative plan aimed at finding an internationally acceptable solution to Namibia's independence. Harking back to those days, famous veteran media personality Mvula Ya Nangolo who is currently the Advisor to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting says he remembers those days when racists in South Africa claimed to have unconditionally accepted the western plan for a peaceful settlement of Namibia's independence. This led to Swapo proceeding cautiously, seeking clarifications on certain vital points. The South Africans continued to maintain their unconditional acceptance of the Western settlement plan for Namibia's independence and at the time Swapo president Sam Nujoma was in New York for further talks and to clarify certain viewpoints on the matter. Tragically, the then Minister of Defence PW Botha ordered his troops into Angola to kill vulnerable women and children. ""The violation of Angola's territorial integrity and the subsequent massacre of innocent, unarmed Namibian women and children on May 4, 1978 marked Pretoria's calculated manoeuvres aimed at forcing Swapo not to continue negotiating for a peaceful settlement,"" narrated Ya Nangolo. On hearing about the attacks on a Swapo settlement that happened to be a health and education centre for Namibian women and children, the Central Committee recalled its New York delegation but left the door open for future talks on the issue. The fact that they were recalled was not a sign of weakness and there were never any intentions to compromise at the expense of the struggling and exploited people of Namibia. The Luanda accord between Swapo and the Western group in July 1978 remained a case in point for it culminated in Security Council Resolution 435 and 439 of 1978, which inter alia called for the holding of free and democratic elections in Namibia controlled and supervised by the United Nations, the 63-year-old Ya Nangolo recalled. The fight continued and with the absence of ceasefire at the time, the message was always aluta continua. Today, Namibia enjoys its 16 years of hard fought independence and what remains is the economic struggle." 2006-04-28Staff Report 2
