American Committee on Africa

Introduction

Africa i s today a continent in transition . It is the l and in which a great social revolution i s taking place . You can hear the deep rumbling of this from the Sahara Deser t t o the Cape of Good Hope. Africans are unit ed in their deep yearning for freedom and human dignity. They a r e de termined to end the exp l oitation of their lives and to have a full sha r e in their own future and des tiny. The story of t hi s s trugg l e for freedom and inde -pendence i s a famili ar one. It has been told by every ma jor American periodical and dramatized on pract ically every t e l evis i on c hanne l. It i s the theme of numerou s speeches and the subject of many fireside discu ss i ons.

Despite this unusua l coverage of African affairs , there are still areas in this vast and complex continent whose problems and conditions are littl e known to Americans. One such area is South West Africa. About the on ly thing most of us Americans know about South West Africa is its geographi cal l ocation in t he emerg ing continent; north~~e st of apart heid.

This tragic l and for many years ~~as a German co l ony. After World War I it was a League of Nations mandat e unde r the Union of South Africa. After World War II and the demise of t he League, South Afri ca tried to annex South West Africa . The League ' s legal successor--the United Nations--so far ha s prevent ed this action . The U.N. has not, however, yet been able to prevent South Africa from treating the Africans in this territory with the same regime of oppression and segrega tion as it gives the non-whites in its own territory.

While Christianity has been timid in too much of Africa, I am g l ad that Michael Scott--a clergyman--for more than a decade has represented the Herero people of South West Africa when South Africa refused to allow the ir representatives to ap pear before the U.N. Nm~ two or three residents have managed to tell the U. N. their mm story. It is no t a pl easant story. At places, it has a nightmarish effect and points up some of the mos t tragic expressions of man's inhumanity to man. It is the story of more than 450,000 people constantly being trampled over by the iron feet of injustic e .

This is the story the American people should kno~~- - one which their delegates at the U.N. should act upon. If for no other reason, we should know this story and act upon it because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere .

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.A.

THE SOUTH WEST AFRICAN STORY

This is th e story of th e lone ly struggle of a g roup of for gotte n Afri c an p e oples

fo r d ecent liv ing and w o rking condi t ions and for th e r e turn of th e ir ances tral lands.

The y liv e in a part of Afri c a of whi c h f ew Ame ri c ans have h eard--South Wes t Africa,

a n " inte rnational" terri t or-y unde r th e jurisdic tion of the Union of South Af rica. The

lot of the inhabitants has b een bitter and harassed for many years and th e United Nations

has b een unabl e to ex e rt th e influe n ce which th e Int e rnational Court of Justice at the

Hagu e says it should have .

This is th e story of an e loquent and d eeply r e lig ious c hieftain of the H e r e ro p e ople,

Hosea Kutako, now in his e i ghty-ninth y e a r . He gave up his y e arning to b e come a Christian

cl e r gyman many y ears ag o in orde r to k eep his p e ople togethe r afte r a trag i c c olonial

war in whic h gr eat numbe rs of th e m p e ri s h e d.

This is the story of a white m an - -the R eve r e nd Michae l S c ott of the Chur c h of

England . H e v isited the s e p e ople, was appalled at th e ir situation, and for 13 y ea rs has

d e di c ated hims e lf to th e ir c ause, ur ging th e British and all w e ste rn gove rnme nts to

take the ir side , pl e ading p e rsonally at th e U. N. for action year aft e r y ear.

This is th e story of two young H e r e ros who manag ed against gr e at odds to ge t out

of South We st Africa a nd c ome to th e U.N. in Ne w York to pl ead for all th e tribes of

th e ir country.

This is th e story of two young Am er i c ans who hav e re c ently b e en abl e to inve sti -

gate the lot of th e Afri c ans in S outh Wes t Afr i c a at first hand.

Finally, this is th e sto ry of th e Union of South Afri ca's d e fiance of th e U, N.

b ec ause the Union would like to annex the ec onomic ally profitable ar e a for h e r ow n

b e n efit and that of th e white minority . South Afri c a is also afraid that to los e South

We st Africa would be to l e ave her flank s e v e n mor e exposed to the pr e ssur e s of African

nationalism .

The Background

South We st Afri c a was lost by G e rmany i n th e First World War and b ecame a

Mandate of th e L e ague of Nations - -that is , an in t e rnati o nal territory - -and was allotte d

t o th e c ar e of its neighbor , th e Union of South Afr i c a. Under th e te rms of th e Mandate ,

South Africa was suppose d "to promote t o the utmost th e mater i a l and moral w ell-being

and the social progr e ss of t h e inhabitants ofthe T errito r y." With the death of the L e ague

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SOUTH WEST AFRICA, which was a German colony until the end of the first

World War, became a Mandate of the League of Nations, an international territory,

under the supervision of the Union of South Africa. Under the Mandate terms, South

Africa was to "pr9mote to the utmost the material and moral well-being and the social

progress of the inhabitants of the Territory." With the demise of the League of Nations, the

mandate system was taken over by the United Nations. Today South We st Africa is a

mandated territory with its exact status in doubt. But there can be no doubt about the

poverty of the people, or the violation of the pledge to promote to the utmost their ma-

terial and moral well-being and their social progress. I

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of Nations, the mandate system was take n ove r by th e U. N., but South Afri c a app ears to

b e trying to absorb South We st Afric a without inte rnational approval. South Wes t Afri c a

is still a mandate d t e rritory.

The plight of th e Africans in South Afri c a is g ene rally und e rstood. To know that

South We st Africa is r e garde d within South Afri c a as a sort of "fifth province " of the

c ountry is to know a little of what th e Af r i c ans of this "inte rnational" t e rritory have

to e ndure .

For 13 years th e U. N. has had th e item, "Que stion of South We st Afri c a," on its

agenda. For 13 years conditions hav e b e come worse, not better, for the non-white 88o/o

of the population. The whit e 12% hav e be c ome wealthie r in a "buoyant and expanding"

e conomy, ac c ording to the 1958 U. N. report on the te,rritory.

Let The Sleeping Dog Lie?

Africans in many parts of the c ontinent are learRing today what independence means.

Most of them admire white civilization and its democratic traditions. The y look, how e v e r,

at the ar e as of the c ontine nt wher e Afri c ans under white control ar e still little bette r than

serfs, and they wonder .. . , Why does th e weste rn world, why does the U, N., allow th e

exploitation of Africans by whit e maste rs to continue? If d e mocracy is as d e sirable as

the West claims, why do e s it not prac ti ce what it preaches? Will the West, the U, S , ,

or the U, N. giv e the p e oples of S outh We st Afri c a the d ec ent answe r - -supporte d by

forthright action- -before it is too late?

What follows is bas e d on offi c ial U. N . documents and on th e words of th e Africans

themselve s. Conditions as des c ribed by th e Africans ar e supporte d from many sour c es,

Where South West Africa Is

The map of Africa shows to th e northwest of th e Union of South Africa, on the

Atlantic Coast, the Mandate d T e rritory of South We st Africa. It is bound on the north by

Portuguese Angola and Northern Rhod e sia and on the east by the British Protectorate of

B echuanaland. To the west lies the Atlanti c Ocean and to the south the Cape Province

of South Africa . In ar e a 317,725 square miles, South We st Afric a is nearly as large as

T exas and Oklahoma combined, or about the size of Franc e . Its capital, Windhoek, is a

growing mode rn city with a population of 17,000 white s and 15,000 Africans.

Who Lives There The mid - 1958 official populatio n was e stimate d as 539,000 inhabitants. Thes e in-

clude d 452,000 "Nativ e s" or pure- bloode d Afri c ans, 66,000 "Europ e ans" or white s, and

21,000 "Col ored" p e rsons or th o s e of mixed blood. About 88 % of th e population is n on -

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I FOR THIRTEEN YEARS th e United Nations has had the que sti on of

South We st Afri c a b e for e it. P e rsonal pl e as wer e made on b e half of

th e p e ople of th e forgott e n trust by the R eve r e nd Mi c ha e l S c ott , an

Anglic an missionary, and Mburumba K e rina, a native son of South

W e st Africa who was th e n atte nding Linc oln Unive rsity in the Unite d

State s. The R e v e r e nd S c ott spoke b e caus e, h e said, "thos e who have

aske d me to c ontinue r e pr e s e nting th e ir vi e ws have not be e n allow e d

to l e a ve South We st Africa . "

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white.

The principal tribes are the Ovambos, Hereros, Namas (or Hottentots), and Bush-

men.

People of German origin make up a quarter of the European population. The ma-

jority of the Europeans are from South Africa, being attracted to the territory by the

large stock-farming areas made available to them .

Where They Live: Apartheid

"Apartheid" or segregation laws are applied rigidly to dwelling places for whites

and non-whites.

The territory is divided into two main areas by an administrative boundary. The

area south of the boundary is known as the "Police Zone" and is the area of white settle-

ment. Two-thirds of the African population live north of the Police Zone in rural areas

called reserves, which they must have permission to leave. Ovamboland in the north is

one well-known reserve.

Eighteen other reserves, widely scattered, lie within the Police Zone. In or near

towns are the "locations"- -miserable shantytowns, usually, for the Africans working

nearby.

Europeans must have special permission to go into locations or reserves, or north

of the Police Zone, but otherwise may move freely. Africans must have special per-

mission in the form of "passes" to go anywhere outside the reserves or locations where

they normally live.

While Man's Wealth, Black Man's Burden

The 1958 report by the special U. N. Committee on South West Africa describes

the generally profitable economy run by the Europeans. In 1954, the last year for which

statistics separate from those of South Africa itself were published, the export trade

was almost $90 million a year, with diamonds, lead ores, fish products, and caracul

(Persian lamb) pelts the most important products. Dairy-farming, the raising of sheep

and beef, and mining have proved best adapted to a dry country, much of it desert, but with

rich mineral resources. Foreign companies, some American, operate many of the mines.

The President of the Windhoek Chamber of Commerce described the economy in

1958 as "very sound." According to aU. N. report, taxation for EUropeans is "relatively

light."

The U. N. report comments, however, that such comfortable progress is for the

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Windhoek hotel for whites

BLACK AND WHITE: Per capita

incomes for the 66,000 whites of

South West Africa rank with the most

advanced countries of the world. For

the 452,000 African inhabitants the

statistics tell another story. Pov-

erty in the rural areas is below the

survival level. As for the towns,

John Gunther called the location in

Windhoek" one of the most gruesome

and nauseating slums I have ever

seen."

Windhoek "location"

for African inhabitants

Windhoek high school for whites

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whites only and "depends to a critical extent on a large and relatively cheap labor force

drawn from the •Non-European' population"--whic h is limited~ law almost entirely to

unskilled labor.

A Tragic History

A tribe with which we shall be mostly c oncerned her e is that of th e Her eros, a

proud and intelligent p e ople who once were "cattle-ri c h" and roam e d the country freely

and without fear.

German missionaries arrived in South Wes t Africa in th e mid-nineteenth century,

and the country was succe ssfully claimed by Germany in 1884. German occupation made

headway only against the despe rat e opposition of the African populations, c ulminating in

the Herero War of 1904-07. The brutal "exte rmination order " of General von Trotha

cost about 65,000 H e r e ro lives. An estimated 15,000 H e reros survived, b ereft of th, ir

cattle wealth, reduced to landl e ss pov e rty, and s eg r egate d on r e serv es . Some stay e d in

South West Africa unde r Chief Hosea Kutako who is still alive today. Others fl e d t o

Bec huanaland where they have lived in exile ever since.

During the First World War, Her eros provided soldiers and aid to the Allies and

wer e promised a return of thei r lands for this help. They r eceived• instead th e Mandate

status under South Afri c a's unsympatheti c r ule.

The assignment of the Mandate was justified on the ground of geog raphi cal position,

State pape rs on the peace conference published subseque ntly show the Mandate as a mis-

guided concession to South Africa 's d es ir e for th e outright a nnexation of South West

Africa. South Africa was required to submit annual reports on the progres s of South

We st Africa and to b e subject to the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League

of Nations. South Africa had, however, th e privilege of applying its own laws to the

territory. Administrative powers were delegated b y the Governor-General to an Ad-

ministrator who a c ted in his b e half. Under the constitution adopted in 1925, the European

inhabitants were g iv en the right to e l ec t members of a Legislative Assembly. The same

privil ege was d eni e d to Africans, whose affairs were dealt with not b y the Assembly, but

by th e Administrator in Advisory Council. Only one membe r of this Counc il was selected

on the ground of his "thoroug h acquaintanc~ with the r ea sonabl e wants and wishes to th e

non-Europ e an race s in th e t erritory."

Between th e two Worl d Wars the Here ros continu ed t o b e moved from place to

place , finally reaching the reserves w h ere they are today.

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QUOTATIONS FROM SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT SOURCES

From "South West Africa--Land of Promise," by the Editor, in Lantern for October, 1957, published under the patronage of the South African Government:

Of the Ovambos: "They are a happy and contented people."

Of "the Whites": " The country's economy depends upon their enterprise, and with-out their guardianship the Natives would hardly be able to make a living, let alone have their feet on the rungs of the ladder of civilization.

"The Whites .are constantly being reinforced by immigrants from the Union and abroad, for opportunity in commerce, in-dustry, and the professions seems unlimited."

"Non-Europeans are not a part of the electorate for the Union Parliament or the Legislative Assembly, but enjoy a large measure of autonomy in managing in-ternal affairs in their areas according to their own customs.

"It must be borne in mind that the majority of the Natives, from the point of view of civilization, are centuries behind the Whites . ... Before the advent of the white man the territory was the scene of much bloodshed ... and it took a long time to place a curb on savagery, costing not only many White lives but millions of pounds."

" Naturally, many non-Europeans make a temporary or permanent living out-side the reserves, chiefly as unskilled or semi-skilled l abourers ... For that end there is a special recruiting organization called SWANLA, but wherever they may be, the.welfare of non-Europeans is a matter of official concern.

"In Windhoek, for example, there is a government hospital solely for their use ... "

rom South West Africa and the Union of South Africa: The history of a mandate, pub. c. 1946 by the South African Government:

"The idea of trusteeship by various nations is understood by the Natives ... ~ertain tribei} said they understood that urnder trusteeship administration King George of England would have to share his Council seat with the Chiefs of other Nations--an idea which they strongly reject."

" ... One explanation of their low birthrate ventured by medical opLnLon is the moral degeneracy of the Herero tribes and the high incidence of disease among them--and it may be added that indolence and degeneracy are greatly retarding the advance of some of the other non-white communities in the Territory."

"In Native hospitalisation and education, too, the Union takes a lead and the progress made with the genera l social welfare of the Natives is unequalled in Africa. This small white nation ... has reason to feel that its trusteeship of the Native peoples has brought them great and lasting benefits."

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A Friendly White Man--The Reverend Michael Scott

After the Second World War, South Africa was the only mandatory power to refuse

to make its Mandate a Trust Territory and thus it refused to groom South West Africa

for independence under the supervision of the Trusteeship Council and General Assembly

of the United Nations. Togoland, the Cameroons, the Somalia are today about to become

independent under such guidance.

South Africa, in fact, used the occasion to renew its efforts to annex South West

Africa. Field Marshal Jan Smuts carne to the U.N. to ask for that privilege in 1946.

Meanwhile, the Rev. Michael Scott, an English clergyman of the Church of England

who had made a remarkable reputation as a defender of Africans and Indians within

South Africa, was staying with an African chief in Bechuanaland, bordering South West

Africa. This chief introduced him to Chief Frederick Maherero of the Herero remnant

which had fled to Bechuanaland many years before. ·· Chief Frederick appeal-ed to Father

Scott to help Chief Hosea's people in South West Africa. The Hereros--knowing of

Smuts' move at the U. N. (a move based on a dubious "referendum" conducted among

the tribes)--sent this urgent message to Chief Frederick: "The heritage of your father's

orphans is about to be taken from them and because we cannot speak with one voice as

we are scattered all over their country, our heritage may therefore fall to that side for

which we have no liking ..•. Corne quickly to us."

Frederick, knowing that he would have no freedom of movement, sent Scott to

South West Africa to visit Hosea instead of himself.

Scott told the old chief and his elders that they were entitled to petition the U. N.

against annexation and he agreed to carry such a petition for them. Surmounting in-

credible difficulties, Scott journeyed to London and thence to the U. N. in New York.

Annexation was denied to Smuts, but South Africa refused to recognize U. N. jurisdic-

tion over the territory. The International Court of Justice in 19 50 ruled that South Africa,

while not bound to make South West Africa a Trust Territory, was legally required to

submit annual reports and transmit petitions to the U. N. and to observe the terms of

the Mandate.

The u. N.--words But Not Deeds Scottachievedrnuc.hingaining U. N. attention to the cruel conditions in South West

Africa. Even his unflagging efforts, however, and even the sympathy he won for this

cause among a majority of U. N. members, have never resulted in any action which

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I

Hosea's Prayer "You are the Gr e at God of all th e Earth a nd th e Heave n s .. We ar e so

insignificant. In us the r e are many d e f ec ts. But the powe r is yours to

make and do what we c annot do. You know all about us. For c oming

down to earth you w e r e d e spis e d, and mocke d, and brutally tr e at e d

be c aus e of thos e same d e f e cts in th e m e n of thos e days. And for thos e

men you prayed becaus e they did not unde rstand what th e y w e r e doing,

and that you c ame only for what is right. Giv e us th e courage to struggle

in that way for what is right. 0 Lord, h e lp us who roam about. H e lp

us who have b een placed in Africa and have no dw e lling plac e of our

own. Give us back a dwelling place . 0 God, all powe r is yours in

Heav e n and Earth. Ame n."

PRAYER OF CHIEF HOSEA KUTAKOOF THEHEREROTRIBE ON THE OCCASION OF THE REVEREND MICHAEL SCOTT'S DEPARTURE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS WITH THE FIRST PETITION FROM AFRICAN TRIBES OF SOUTH WEST AFRICA, 1946.

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compelled South Africa to change its ways.

Meanwhile South Africa continues to integrate the territory. into her own, giving it

white representation in the South African Parliament, bringing its Africans under the

jurisdiction of the Minister of Native Affairs, and in general doing what she pleases.

The Good Offices Committee

In 1957 a Good Offices Committee was established by the U. N. After a long un-

willingness to talk and a boycotting of U. N. sessions, South Africa agreed to "negotiate"

with this Committee. The U, S., Britain, and Brazil were members of this Committee

and discussions were held in South Africa itself. When the talks were concluded, the

British and Brazilian members allowe d themselves to be flown on a hasty and unpub-

licized tour of South West Africa under government guidance, apparently seeing only

what suited the South African government and interviewing no African leaders. This

visit, which aroused deep misgivings among Chief Hosea and his friends, was the only

occasion when representatives of the U. N. even as individuals have been invited to visit

South West Africa.

In Septe mber, 1958, when the Good Offices Committee reported to the U. N. Trustee-

ship Committee, the only positive result of the discussions which it could present was a

tentative suggestion that South Africa might be willing to consider annexation of the

southern (profitable and white-settled) area of South West Africa and to administer the

northern part (where the majority of Africans live) as aU. N. Trust Territory.

Eric Louw, foreign minister of South Africa, was present in New York to discuss

the partition suggestion. After a majority of U. N. members voted to allow Michael

Scott and Mburumba Kerina, a young Herero, to comment on partition from the begin-

ning of the debate, Mr. Louw consulted his government and announced that South Africa

would have to boycott the remainder of the South West Africa discussions. Thus South

Africa walked out. Scott and Kerina, reflecting the opinion of Africans, completely re-

jected partition--as did the U, N. majority. To many partition smacked of apartheid

under U, N, auspices. The Trusteeship Committee asked the Good Offices Committee

to try once again and report to the 14th General Assembly in 1959 on its results.

A Herero Speaks at the u. N. For many years Michael Scott was the only petitioner at the U. N. on behalf of

the South West African tribes, (In the meantime he was forbidden by South Africa to

enter South West Africa or South Africa). In 1956, however, Scott was joined by a young

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I A HERERO HERO makes a personal appeal to the United Nations

Committee on South West Africa in May 1959 after penetrating the

sealed borders of South West Africa. Here Fanuel Konzonguisi of

the Herero tribe of South West Africa appeals to the United Nations

against the South African tyranny at the United Nations in New York.

United Nations Photo

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I

I 1

Herero, Mbururnba K er ina (some tim e s known as Cetzen, a name h e no longe r us e s). As

a South West African, Kerina was unable to ge t p e rmission to leave South Africa for

higher education, but r egistering as a South African h e managed to r ece ive a pas sport

to study in the U. S. H e received a degree from Lincoln Univ ers ity in P e nnsylvania

and is continuing to study in New York City. He was authoriz e d by his p eople in South

Wes t Africa to speak for · them. He has added furthe r confirmation to S c ott ' s carefully-

docume nted t es timony and to th e U.N.'s r eports.

The Harero Who Escaped

On many occasions th e U . N. has requested that cer tain South We st Afri c ans b e

allowed to come and testify before it . Passpor~s have always be e n r efus e d by South

Africa. In 1957 one was denied a Herero, Fanuel Jariretundu Kozonguizi. As far as is

known, he is the only African other than Kerina fr om South West Africa to have a college

d eg r ee.

In the spring of 1959 Kozonguizi, with admirable resour cefulness and courage,

manage d to l eave South West Africa inc onspic uously and to make his way to the U. N.

where h e t estifi e d befo r e the Committee on South West Africa on May first.

The lively and moving p e titions at the end of the U. N. Committee r eports on South

West Africa indicate that South We st Africans retain th e pride, intelligence , and spirit

whic h young Kozonguizi has shown- -in spite of what the y have b een through. Thos e who

c ommunicat e with th e U. N. ofte n suffer penalties at horn e , but n early all of th e m sign

the ir own name s to th e se petitions.

Hovv South West Africans Live

The European ec onomy of South West Africa is prosperous in part becaus e it is

bas e d on cheap Afri c an labor. The cynic-- a nd one n ee d hardly be a cynic to b e lie ve

this- -might suppose that th e Her eros and others are deliberately kept on poor lands,

delibe rately allowed to learn no skills, deliberately prevente d by law from forming labor

or political organizations, so that they will b e for ced to work for the white man on the

white man's own terms.

ing

Chief Hosea and a group of Her e ros wrote to the U. N. in 1958: "At th e last meet-

when we raised th e question of low wages w e w e r e told that the Government

has nothing to do with th e question of wage increas es. That must be left as a matter

betw een the labourer and his master."

Most of th e labor r e quir e d for mining and farming c omes from the northern r e -

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I JUSTICE IN SOUTH WEST AFRICA, YES OR NO? The United

Nations Trusteeship Committee debates the question of whether or

not it should allow petitioners from South West Africa to be heard.

From left to right, V. G, Martirosyan of the USSR, E. H. Louw of the

Union of South Africa, L. Dmiterko of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet

Republic, and Talat Benler of Turkey.

United Nations Photo

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serves, of which Ovamboland is one, and is r ec ruited by the South West African Native

Labor Association (SWANLA). Laborers ar e employed under contract for periods of

as much as two years at a time.

Kerina says: "The labor e rs c ome from th e reserves, some forced, others of their

own fr ee will, to e arn wages. They are not free to choose their masters on arrival at

th e place of work, or to bar gain with their e mployers or to l e a ve them when expos e d to

harsh treatm e nt . The y are h e rded in the trains and cattle trucks with tallies or

labe ls around their n ecks and ar e not well-fed or a ccommodate d." Wages a few years

ago ranged from $1.26 ~ month plus minimum clothing and rations, according to Scott.

H e has also seen th e s e labor e rs sl eeping outdoors on c oncrete with one blanket in sub-

freezing weather.

An Ovambo writing th e U. N. in 1957 says :

The apartheid is a ceaseless t e rror--now hundreds of Ovambo workers in the poli ce zone have b een arrested. Nobody knows what is the ir crime. It is only that they happen to pay a visit, or were sl eeping somewhere where th e y have no p e rmission to sleep. Th ey have e ithe r to s e rv e six weeks imprisonme nt or b e fin e d thr ee pounds [ $8 . 40]. The daily wages of an contract Ovambo are 7/6 [$1. 05] p e r we e k . •.. Fines! Fine s!

C onditions of lif e for Ovambo Native labour in South Wes t Africa are a scandal. There is a grave system of forced labour. The Majority of Ovambo recruits for S. W,A.N.L.A. ar e forced to go somewhere they do not want. Eventually, the y sne ak away. By sneaking away .• . they have hundreds of miles to walk. Many were thus eaten up by lions ; many starve d in th e way; many wer e shot down by Boe r farme rs; many were c aptur e d by S. A. police; b efor e th e y reac h Court, they were savagely kicke d and b ea ten by S. A. Boer Policeme n. At the Court they ar e always fin e d . ten pounds [ $28 . 00] or s e rv e six months' imprisonment with h e avy labour • F ew farm e rs accused of murder were fined fifteen pounds [ $42 . 00] only by the Court. This above -mentione d amount is ofte n part of an Ovambo victim's se>cked monies (savings).

We might question the shootings as an exaggeration , but Michae l Scott's own in-

vestigations reveal similar conditions, as have newspaper stories from South Africa

itself. The d e ath of an African at the hands of a white man is · not an infreque nt occurr enc e,

with the kind of penalty as r eported by the Ovambo p e titioner. Fleein g laborers ar e , of

course, fugitives from justice. Certain publi c expenditures, a cco rding to the U. N, re -

ports, hav e b een d e s cribed in offi c ial reports as th e c ost of efforts "to trac e Ov ambo

des e rters who, if found, w e re subject to imprisonment with hard labour a nd to the com -

ple tion of thei r full c ontrac t period with the same e mployer whom they had l e ft."

D eser tion is "one of the more serious offences."

- 15 -

Break-up of the African Family

Since lands are poor on many of th e res erves and money is need to pay tax e s, the

m e n ar e for ce d to. tak e upth e l ongcontract periods offer ed by SWANLA. When an African

i n th e Poli ce Zone i s slow in finding e mploym'ent, he may--by law--be assigned an em-

ploy e r or be arrested for vagrancy. Women and c hildr en are left behind--few women

ar e eve r given p e rmission to l e ave th e northern res e rv e s. The men at the mines sleep

in cr ud e barrac ks-style c ompounds. At Tsumeb copper mine s, owned by two American

c oncer ns--th e Newmont Mining Corp. and American Metal Climax, In c . --African work-

e rs l ive 12 to a room. A cc ommodations at th e whit e farms ar e far more primitive.

What effe c t th e s e l ong p e riods of separation hav e on the morality--not to say th e

moral e --of husband and wife and on the welfare of young c hildren is not hard to imagine .

This is one of the mor e brutal aspec ts of a system in which Africans are r egarded not

as human b e ings but as so many units of work.

African Wages

Th e Tsumeb mme m 1956, a ccording to The Ne w York Times, paid Africans from

2 5¢ t o $ 1.54 fo r an 8-hour day, whi l e the first-class European worker was paid a bas e

wag e of $6 .00 a day and a c ost- of-liv i ng bonus of $75 a month. His family was provided

a h ou se at a r e asonabl e r e n ta l. C onditions for Africans at Tsumeb are, it should b e

no ted , among the best in th e t er ritory.

C hi e f Hosea has w ritte n: (p o unds are her e changed to dollars):

1 Wag e s for our p e op l e in the towns a re very low. For men they are from $16.80 to $28 .00 p e r mon th in Windhoek wh e r e pay is high es t. A f e w men receive $33,60 p er month. Wom e n r ece i ve $4.20 to $8.40 p er month. In other towns wag e s ar e lowe r than this, e . g ., Ok a handja, where men re ce iv e $4.20 to $8.40 per month. At Otatu th e wage i s $2.80 to $5.60 p e r month without rations . .. .

A U. N. repor t d escr ib e s wag e s in th e 1950's for mine and farm labor e rs as b e -

ginning from $2.80 to $9.10 a month, plus food, some c lothing, and housing.

Pri ce s are , however , geare d to the white man who may e arn 10 times as muc h as

an African. Chief Hosea des c ribes th e price of clothing worn by himself and his friends:

$19.60 for a pair of trous e rs, $4.90 for a shirt, $27.65 for a c oat, $8.40 for a pair of

shoe s, $14 . 00 for a s ec ond-hand suit . Food c osts range as follows: a loaf of br e ad, from

14¢ to 21¢; 3 pounds of meali e (corn) m e a l, 14¢; a pound of g oat m e at or beef, low g rade ,

28¢; a pound of butt e r, 45¢; a c ow's h ead, 77¢; h e art and lungs , the lot, 70¢; f ee t, 56¢;

and stoma c h, 42¢ . - 16 -

With $33.60 a month b e ing a hi gh salary for an Afri c an, it is any wonder that d e -

fici e n c y dis e ases, shown in sores and di s t e nde d stomac hs, plague th e c hildr e n ? On

many occasions c orn m e al may b e th e only articl e of di e t.

Taxation

Taxation for Europ e ans has b ee n d e s c rib e d as "r e lativ e ly li g ht." This holds tru e

for c orporate as w e ll as for individual tax e s. Thus South We st Africa offe rs attra c tiv e

prospec ts for . outside investors. South Afri c a c omplains that th e whol e cos t of g o ve rn-

ment in South We st Afri c a is borne by whit e s, failing to m e ntion that this tax mone y might

be conside r e d as ri g htly ow e d to thos e who make th e hi gh inc om e s for whit e s possible.

Mic hael Scott points out that the t e rritory now c ontribute s a flat sum of 50,000 pound s

($140,000) a y e ar for the development of the res e rves, "but any furth e r exp e nditur e ...

has to come from th e Trust funds--that is, from the annual rate s or h ead tax e s, g ra z ing

fees, and the many other tax e s impos e d on th e Afri c ans, most of whom ar e far too poor

to pay any kind of tax."

The Pass System

Suppose that ev e ry tim e you wante d to go anywh e r e beyond a few bloc ks from your

hom e you had to g e t a pass from th e poli c e or from your e mploye r. Suppos e you wanted

to be out aft e r ten o'clock at night and had to have polic e p e rmission. Suppos e you had to

hav e writte n police p e rmission not only to be away from home, but to g e t into a fri e nd's

n e ighborhood not far away. Suppose you also n e eded a pass to prove that you had paid

your income tax. If youwer ecaughtwithout th e right pass or pass e s, if you staye d mor e

than 72 hours at a friend's hous e or in a c ity to s ee k work, you would go to jail--

and no one in your family would know wher e you were. It sounds like a ni ghtmar e . Yet

this is what the pass system m e ans in South West Afri c a , an "inte rnational" territory.

Kerina describ e s 9 kinds of passes, one or mor e of which an Afri c an must produce

on d e mand: th e poll tax rec e ipt, the ide ntification and traveling pass, th e 6 days' spe cial

pass to s eek work, th e night spe cial pass, th e lodge pass, th e day labor pass (to prov e

employme nt), the loc ation visitor 's pass, the trek pass (for migrant laborers), and the

exe mption pass--to say one needn't carry any oth e r passes! Africans hate th e pass

syste m as muc h as any other single indignity.

"The Land is Ours"

Hosea Kutako has b een saying, "The land is ours," for most of his 88 years. In

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reality, however, the European is steadily whittling away from the reserves as fast as

the Africans pay for developing them. Africans cannot afford the same kind of develop-

ment as the European, of course, and receive only a small fraction of the public funds

made available to white farmers. From theit cattle they make a meager living selling

cream, butter, meat, and hides.

Chief Hosea has written:

There is a great scarcity of water in the Reserves. In the ._ Epikuro and Otjituo

Reserves animals must often be driven twenty or thirty miles to water. It is very difficult to breed animals in good condition and the people get little benefit from rearing these animals. There are very few people living in the Reserves who have enough cattle to provide them with a proper livelihood. They are not allowed to have permits to go and seek work in the towns, though sometimes the young men can obtain contracts to work in the towns ... and white recruiting officers come ..• when young men are needed in the towns. But the young women and people generally are not allowed to go to the towns to look for work. For these reasons the stand-ard of living of the people in the Reserves remains very low.

In the towns there is, in general, no labor shortage, as there has been of recent

years in farming and mining. A man unemployed for 14 days may lose his house in the

new Windhoek location and be forced to leave the town. When the Africans sell their

cattle, they find prices very low.

Two recent cases illustrate th e European attitude toward African land.

The Case of Hosea Kutako and the Arninuis Reserve

.Aminuis reserve, where Chief Hosea lives, is an oblong area about 40 by 60 miles,

next /to a strip or corridor about 60 by 10 miles along the Bechuanaland border. In 1933

the South West African Administrator, Dr. Conradie, visited the Hereros and told them

that the corridor would be added to the Aminuis reserve, as already promised by the

Government. He added: "This, however, has not been actually proclaimed as it was not

considered necessary to do so until water has been opened up and the ground was actually

used by the people."

Twenty-four years after, in 1957, the Secretary for Native Affairs offered Hosea

one farm area in the corridor in exchange for a much better part of the reserve which

the Hereros were then occupying. The corridor was wanted, of course, for white settle-

ment. Chief Hosea refused the offer, pointing out that the corridor had been theirs for

many years. The "exchange," if he were to accept it, was far from fair in any case. The

Secretary replied that Hosea would regret having lost such a fine opportunity, since in

- 18 -

th e pres e nt c ir c umstances the H ere ros could have nofurthe r claim to the co rridor what-

soev e r!

Sugges tions for moving nearly all the Her eros from th e Police Zone for r e s e ttl e -

ment in th e north have b ee n serious l y advanced in th e South Afr i can Parliam e nt in 1958,

This would b e rather like moving 40,000 New Yorke rs to Georgia--and w ithout their

p ermission.

The Case of the Rev. Markus Kooper

A numbe r of recent l e tt e rs and p e titions to th e U. N, have con ce rned th e Hoachanas

Rese r ve, where 400 of the r ema inde r of th e "Red Nation"--one of the Nama tribes--have

lived for many years. Th e y were allowed to build th e ir own African Methodist Episcopal

C hurch, but th e Government decided that it neede d th e area for whites , Th e Rev, Markus

Kooper , b e lov e d by his p e ople, has b ee n th e ir r.e li g ious l ead e r, He and others hav e

complaine d to th e U. N. that the Government has recently p ersecut e d th e ir c hurch and

has wrongfully accus e d certain of its m embe rs of buying stol e n caracul pelts in order to

justify th e imp ending removal of th e Red Nation from its l ands . These had b een granted

i n perpe tuity by the Germans, although thr ee -quarte rs of th e original ar ea--the in-

habitants insist- -has since b ee n taken from them.

In January, 1959, th e Rev. Kooperandhisfamily of six were forcibly r e moved- - and

some of his p e ople wer e injured when they prote ste d--to a r emot e spot, 150 mile s away

in the Itsawisis Desert, where h is p eople a r e t o fo ll ow him. Sadly, Koop e r has written

that h e was taken there as so much "us e l e ss waste matter."

In a p e tition to th e U. N. a month later, Koop e r c oncludes :

"Sirs, while I do not know the pr e s e nt situation of my p e opl e at Hoachanas whom hav e been serving and from whom I was d e p e nding for my meals and salary I,

tog e th e r with my wife and children are in a mis erable situation of hung e r, We live and I f e d my c hildr en on gum since we hav e been threw away in these lifeless stones by the administration of SWA, so I a m closing the pe tition sofar for today be c ause I am going to f e t c h gum our onliest diet to qui e t my children crying for food. Oh, Heavenly Father , hast Thou c r e ate m e to liv e on th e fa ce of this earth, to roam about and to f e d mys e lf and my family which Thou has entruste d m e on gum as if we are really baboons for whom Thou has no purpose to s e rve in th e world of humanbe ings and in this country Thou gavest to our dear par e nts and their par ents. Forgive us our transgr e ssions as we are sinners and deliver South West Africa from South African Government . A m en !"

Respectfully yours for Rooinasi e [ Re d Nati on ] and oppressed.

--Rev. Markus Koop e r

He b egs the U. N. to take action. Indee d, the U. N. Committee on South Wes t Africa

- 19 -

did pass a laudable resolution on the Rev. Mr. Kooper for action by the General As-

sembly. Yet what U. N. resolution has the South African government eve r h ee d e d?

Health--More Hospitals Wanted

John Gunther in Inside Africa wrote of th e Windhoek location as "one of the most --gruesome and nauseating slums I hav e ever s ee n." In suc h loc ations, refuse flowing

from the lavatories sometimes contaminates drinking water- -with as many as 150 famili e s

sharing a water faucet.

Tuberculosis and malaria, among other diseases, have b ee n rife in the territory,

as well as an epidemic of diphtheria in Ovamboland in 1956-57. Though ther e are a

number of state hospitals for Africans in the Police Zone, and more ar e being built,

they ar e still inadequate to the n ee d. There are three Administration medi c al officials

and one small governm e nt hospital outside th e Police Zone, wher e missionaries provide

the only other medical help--for 238,487 Africans, or nearly two-thirds of thos e in th e

whole of South West Afri c a .

Housing

Afri c an housing both in th e locations and on the r e serve s is of the flimsiest. John

Gunther describes those at Windhoek as being "made of old automobile fenders, c ard-

board, mashed-out petrol tins, and bits of old cloth and basketware." Ne w houses for

Windhoek Africans are now b e ing built, but with the usual e nforc e d removal of loc ation

residents to a site far distant from the city. This removal of Afri c ans from white a r eas

involves high e r rents and bus fares, still under apartheid.

Chief Hosea in 1958 observe d that Africans were refusing to be mov e d and would

prefer that existing locations be improved. Policemen, he said, searched Africans

going in and out of locations. He d e scribe s the new locations as follows:

Thes e locations will be built in separate sections for th e Here ros, Namas, Damaras, Ovamboes. Wh e n a p e rson wishes to go from the Ovambo to the Her e ro se c tion h e must apply for a permit and state th e purpose of his visit. The houses that ar e to be built by th e Administration must be paid for b efore the seventh of each month. [ T h e rent for e a c h hous e will b e the equivalent of $5.40 as oppos e d to 50~ or l es s p e r p er son under th e old schem e ]. Thos e who fail to pay will b e arr es t ed.

Th e house is abouttwe ntyfeetsquaredi vid ed into four e qual-sized rooms. It has only one door and has ' one window at th e 1ront and one at the back .... The re is no kitche n, but p e rmits may b e g ive n to build a kitc hen alongside th e hous e or to us e an open fire ..•• The superinte ndent says that communal bathrooms will b e built for e a c h s ec tion. Those who are to b e allowed to stay in th e s e hous es ar e a man and hi s wife and minor c hildr e n .•.• There will b e separate compounds

- 20 -

for male and f e male [ ove r 18 year s of a g e ] in e a c h s e ction, ... Provision is b e ing made for thos e wishing to build th e ir own houses in the

sam e location. The hous e will b e long to th e p e r son wh o h a s built it for thirty ye ar s only.

Much of this is confirme d in th e 19 6 r egulations propos e d for th e new Windhoek

loc ation. Some hous e s will hav e only two or thr e e rooms at low e r rentals, Advance

J( e rmission will b e r e quir e d for lar ge gathe rings ; strict control will be exercised over

those who enter th e loc ation.

Education

The Europ e an in South We st Africa lives muc h as an American would in America,

except that he rarely lifts a finge r at manual labor, He has servants--several servants.

He may be som e what ri c h e r than w e ar e , seldom poorer--so far as comforts are con-

ce rned. He is r e quir e dbyl a wto e ducate his children. For 1954-55 in South West Af ica,

th e total government e xp e nditur e on e duc ation was approximately as follows: 79o/o for

educating the Europ eans, So/o for th e Color e d, 9.5o/o for the Africans in the Police Zone,

and 3.5o/o for the Afri c ans outside the Polic e Zone . Th e latter comprise the vast majority

of Afric ans.

Most education for Africans in the north is in the hands of missionaries. Their best

schools, and th e y are few, normally end at the fifth grade, Govern~ent and "recognized"

mission schools within th e Police Zone reach the eighth grade, The re is only one non-

white high school (with classes through the twelfth grade) in the whole territory. This

is for Colored pupils only. There is no institution for higher learning.

"In distant parts there is no school for the children to atte nd," writes Chief Hosea,

"and thus it is that many of our children get no education."

There can be, therefore, no compulsory education for Africans. Only about one in

three Africans ever sees the inside of a schoolhouse or sits in a class.

Tvvo Americans Visit South West Africa

As this is being written, two young Americans, Allard Lowenstein and Emory F,

Bundy, have issued a statement after close personal investigation of conditions in South

West Africa. From their talks with Africans they conclude:

We bring a renewed testimon~al to Michael Scott of the unequalled esteem, affection, and trust plac e d in him by the people whom he has ·so effectively and faithfully r e presented for so many hard years. England can be proud •.• that she has produced such a son. And Christianity is indeed fortunate to have in the ranks of her clergy a man whose selfless concern for others has done much to redeem

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th e m e aning of the C hristian r e lig i o n f or millions of oppr e ss e d a n d f o r g otte n p e opl e who mi ght othe rwis e have b ee n l ed t o t hink of th e C hristian C hur c h as an e l a bor -at e rationalization of th e doctrine that no bla c k m a n, how e v er g ood, should b e th e equal--on this earth-- of any whit e man, how eve r m e an.

In th e "police state " a tmosphe r e of South We st Afri c a, Lowenste in and Bundy ob-

s e r ve : "It g rows increasing l y diffi c ult . .. eve n for Europ e ans to v oice publicly fund-

am e ntal disag r eem e nts with p re s e nt rac ial policie s. It will b e said that few Europ e ans

disa g r e e . . . with pr e sent rac ial poli c ies ; w e would obs e rv e m e rely that w e e ncounte r e d

suc h Europ e ans, and that th e ir hesitancy to spe ak out and th e ir f ear of b e ing quote d

b e tray an unhappy e rosion of t r aditional fr ee doms even within th e limite d Europe an

c ommunity."

Lowenste in and Bundy r e port :

Th e n oos e of th e pa ss law s g r ow s eve r ti ghte r; intimidation of p e rsons op-posing g ov ernme nt polic i e s inc r e a se in inc ide n ce and in intensity; and the c om-

munic ations among th e v arious Afr i c an tribe s and b e tw een the m and othe r g roups is dis c oura ge d and grow s inc r e asingly difficult ....

Our affec tion for many of th e ge n e rous and c harming Europ e ans who hav e made th e ir hom e s in South W e st Af ri c a cannot b e allow e d to blind us to th e c onditions in w hi c h the vast majority o f th e p eopl e of th e t e rritory ar e obli ge d to live by th e pr e s e nt Mandatory P o we r .

The first r ec omm e ndatio n made by thes e two Ame rican obs e rve rs is that the

w e ste rn d emoc r ac ies must take action on th e "plight" of th e s e Afri c ans and, in so doing ,

car r y out the ir inte rnational r es ponsibiliti e s. Othe r r ec omme ndations ar e as follows:

The G o v e rnme nt of South Afri c a is unfit t o c ontinue as th e Trus t ee fo r th e c onscie n ce of the wo r ld a nd should b e stripp e d of its rights a s a Mandatory Pow e r.

The T e rritory should b e placed und e r th e jurisdictio n of th e Trustee ship C ouncil and th e inhabitants c onsulte d as to whi c h nation th e y w ould like to have as th e Trust pow e r .

Ste ps should b e take n to carry th e probl e m of the status of South We st Africa to th e Inte rnational C ourt of Justice for its c om pul s ory jurisdic tion.

In th e e v e nt of continue d ' d efiance of its inte rnational obligations by th e Union G ov e rnme nt, w e would u rge th e inc r e a se d us e of ec onomic pr e ssur e s by an arous e d c ons c i e n ce of mankind.

Despair Stalks South West Africa

Milton Brac k e r, a r eporte r for Th e Ne w York Time s, d e s c ribe d in th e July 12,

19 59 issue of The Ne w York Times Magazine an afte rnoon he spe nt i n a loc ation hov e l

w i th th e H e r e ro l e ade rs. (Mr. Brac k e r was late r arr e ste d, l e n g thily inte rrogate d, f ine d,

and subj ec t e d to a s e ar c h of his b e longing s and a study of his not e s and papers for having

b ee n in this loc ation with out a p e rmit) . We may embroider a littl e upon his story and

pic tur e Chief H o s e a l e aning upon a tabl e , his anc i e n t h e ad grizzl e d and hi s fa ce line d

- 22 -

with the y e ars of his sorrow and the waiting, waiting - -for the broke n promis e s to b e

fulfill e d, for the U. N. to ac t, for some thing to happ e n to give his p e opl e a g limme r of

hop e . H e is thinking p e rhap s of Mic hae l S cott's 13 -ye ar d e di c ation; of th e two young

H e reros abroad; and p e rhaps of the iron rul e of South Afr i c a, sapping th e joy from e ach

Afri c an c hild as h e l e arns how littl e joy th e r e is to b e in life for him, asking Afri c an

labor at a pittanc e , and dooming the Afri c an to virtual slave ry, dis e as e , i g noranc e,

hunger , s e paration from love d o n es .. . .

Hosea spoke only of the He rero claims to th e ir anc i e nt lands. But F e stus Kandjo,

his friend a nd c ompanion of many y ears, had this to say : "If you wait too long for some -

thing that b e long s to you it bree ds bad thing s. Wh e n a p e rson has lo s t pati e n ce , h e

some times c ommits suicide . ..

What did Kandjo m e an ? Yet what hop e is th e r e for these thousands of h e lple ss

Afri c ans ? Will ther e b e a flar e -up and th e n s il e n ce - -th e sil e n ce of th e gr ave? Is/ this

what h e m e ans? In South We st Afri c a the r e stalks th e shadow of dark despair.

What Has the u.s. Done About South West Africa? The U. S. has partic ipate d in th e U , N. Committee on South We st Afri c a for a

three-year t e r m (1 9 56-58) and h e lp e d to draw up r e ports sev e r e ly c riti cal of South

Africa's c arr ying out it s M a nd a t e .

T h e U. S. partic ipate d in th e Good Office s Com mitt e e in 1958 . Its r epr e s e ntative

r e frain e d from joining th e "tour" of South Wes t Africa w hic h c aus e d suc h r e s e ntm e nt

among Afri c ans.

The U. S. has supported many U. N . resolutions asking South Afri c a to c hange its

ways r e garding South We st Africa. Th e U. S. has, how e v e r, b een c autious about sup-

porting c ertain othe r U. N. r e solutions on th e South We st Afri c a que stion.

Thes e ar e th e onl y public a c tions of the U.S. on South We st Afri c a. The r e have

b een f e w, if any, public s tat e m e'nts on South We st Afri c a from Ame ri c an offi c ials outside

th e U. N. South W e st Afric a ha s gott e n lost among th e stormi e r inte rnati o nal probl e ms--

lost for 39 ye ar s , since th e be g inning of th e Mandate in 1920.

If This Were Tibet or Hungary---

C onditions in South We st Afri c a wol,lld p rov oke a n imme dia t e outc ry in th e U.S. if

South W e s t Afr ic a were T ibet o r Hungary . H ow can we of t h e d e moc rati c We st c ontinue

to i gnor e oppress i o n in this inte rnationa l t e rrito r y? Wh y doe s n o t the U . S . s p e ak s trongly

and exert pr e ssur e t o c hange a ll th i s ? S outh Af r i ca i s no t p opula r i n th e world , a nd i n

- 23 -

Afri c a it is d e sp e rately isolated and afraid.

What Next In the U.N. Assembly?

What re c ourse does the int e rnational community hav e when a country defi e s th e

U. N. as the Union of South Afri c a has done in its relations with South We st Afri c a? Since

the Good Office s Committe e so far has produced no r e sults of a positive natur e , it is

like ly that the n ext step will b e to take legal methods of r e m e dying the s ituation, a

possibility whi c h has been und e r study at th e U. N. for sev e ral y e ars.

The Inte rnational Court of Justi ce rul e d in 1950 that South Afri c a did have obliga-

tions to the U.N. in r e gard to South We st Afri c a. The s e w e r e to maintain the territory's

international status and abide by t h e t e rms of the Mandate , to transmit r e ports to th e

U. N. annually, and to forward p e titi o ns to th e U . N. from th e inhabitants of the t e rritory .

The Court also gave as its opinion on this o c casion that if a c omplaint were c orr ec tly

brought against South Afri c a, it would b e bound--under th e L e agu e of Nations Cov e nant--

to ac cept th e Court's compulsory jurisdic tion.

Compulsory -Jurisdiction?

Und e r inte rnational law, th e inhabitants of a mandate d t e rritory c annot thems e lv e s

s eek c ourt r e li e f. The c ompla i nt must b e lodged by an inde p e nd e nt state, possibly any

member of th e U. N. or, at any rate , any former membe r of th e Leag u e of Nations whi c h

is now a membe r of the U. N.

The U.N. Committe e on S outh We st Africa has indicate d repe atedly several ways--

including th e failure to make annual. r e ports--in whi c h it b e liev e s that a cas e might b e

made that South Africa has vi olate d its Mandate over South W e st Afri c a.

The m e thod, depending on l egal c onsiderations y e t to b e d ec ided, should b e a-

v ailabl e f or any one nation or g rou"p of nations which th e Inte rnational Court p e rmits to

p e tition it to h e ar th e complaint on South Africa's failur e to obs e r ve the terms of th e

Mandate . (This a c tion could take place at any tim e of y ear; it n ee d not b e dep e nde nt on a

m ee ting of th e Gene ral Ass e mbly). Both South Afri c a and th e c omplainant would b e

bound to a ccept the International C ourt's d e cision. If South Africa were aske d to take

c ertain steps and refus e d to c omply, th e matte r could th e n b e brought befor e th e U. N.

Se c urity Counc il whi c h could th e or e ti c ally impos e ec onomic and eve n military pr e s s u re s

t o for ce c ompliance . Many have long adv oc ate d ec onomic sanctions.

Needed--An Informed World Public Opinion T o a cc ompli s h the e nd of justice , th e nations of th e w o rld mu s t b e willing and

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anxious, in the name of humanity, moral obligation, th e U. N. Charter, and the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights--to which most nations are signatories--to insist on a new

d eal for our international wards in South West Africa. Dr. G e br e -Egzy, the delegate

from Ethiopia to the 1959 U. N. Committee on South West Africa, suggested that there

be world-wide demonstrations and an international observance yearly of "South West

Africa Day." The ordinary citizen has to hear of South West Africa and to make his

opinion--based on accurate information--known to his government and to other citizens

at home and abroad.

What You Can Do

1. Write two letters,

one to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, The White House, Washington, D. C.

another to Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge U. S. Mission to the United Nations 2 Park Avenue, New York 16, N. Y.

Make these three points:

a. That the U. S, take effectiv e measures, including for:thright direct pressure, toward bringing about U , N, Trust Territory status for South We st Africa. As long as South Africa retains power over South West Africa, it should be unceasingly pressed to observe the terms of its Mandate.

b. That the U, S, strongly support any effort to ask the International Court of Justice for compulsory jurisdiction on the question of whether South Africa has violated its Mandate over South West Africa.

c . That the U, S. make every effort to exert her le;tdership in NATO and in the U, N. toward making constructive action on the South West African question. Point out that the new and about-to-be-free nations of Africa are watching to see if the U.S.'s protestations of friendship to them are matched by its deeds in the U. N.

2. Write to Ambassador Wentzel C. du Plessis --Embassy of the Union of South Africa

Washington, D. C.

I

Urge the Union of South Africa to implement the terms of its Mandate over South

West Africa and to report on its progress toward self-determination regularly to the

U.N.

3. Send for the reports of the U.N. Committee on South West Africa, of which there

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has b ee n one each year since 1954. Fiv e r e ports, 1954 through 1958, can be obtained

postpaid for $2.25 from th e U. N. Bookstor e (Unit e d Nations, N. Y.). Also read Michael

S c ott's autobiography, .!2_ Tim e ~ Speak (Doubleday, 1958 ). Write to th e Am e ri c an Com-

mittee on Afri c a (801 SecondAve. , New York.l7, N.Y.) for a r e ading list of other printed

mate rial.

4. Order and distribute addit i onal c opi es of this pamphl e t directly from the

Ameri c an Committee on Afr i c a. There is a discount for quantity orders. The s e should

b e distributed to schools and librari es and e ditors, cl ergymen, and othe r opinion-

makers in your com munity.

5. Invite a speaker on African affairs--an Af ri c an student, visitor , or petitioner

to the U. N.--to address your club, school , union, c hurch or synagogue. A f e w spe akers

c an talk on South West Africa. Write to the Am e rican Committee on Africa for sug-

ge stions for speak e rs.

6 . Ask th e c l ergymen of your faith to deliv e r a s e rmon on th e probl e m of South

W e st Africa. Many mini s t e rs, priests , and rabbis have preac hed suc h sermons and th e y

have found the c as e for South Wes t Afri ca to b e a clear moral issue of our tim e . Provide

ba c kground mate rial for su c h a sermon.

7. Write a l e tter on South West Africa to your loc al n ew spap e r or to your favorit e

p e riodical, explaining what is happeni ng to South We st Africa and asking for justice to

its peopl e.

8 . Keep inform e d, throu gh n ews paper s, books, and p e riodicals (such as Afr i ca

Today) on the problems of th e entire Afri c an contin e nt--problems whi c h in a real s e ns e

are not divisibl e .

9. If you are a pupil or a teacher, you can discuss th e se U. N. st e p c hildren in

South W e st Africa. There have b ee n many such classroom proj ec ts, including dis-

c ussions and th e n l etter-writing c ampaigns.

10. Support the African Defense and Aid Fund, whi c h is giving le gal a nd oth e r

h e lp to those who stand for fr ee dom and e quality in many parts of Africa. More than

$50 ,000 has gone to th e individuals (and the ir famili e s) indi c t ed for treason in South

Africa. Muc h mor e is n ee d e d. The Fund stands ready to h e lp in S.outh We st Afri c a too. S e nd

your contributions to th e Africa D efens e and Aid Fund, Suite 400, 80 1 S ec ond Avenue,

New York 17, New York.

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I Speak For The People of South West Africa

The ques tion of South West Afric a has been b e fore the United Nations since 1946. B ut e ven tod ay a fter thirtee n years of d e liberations no so lution is in sight. This is du e , perhaps, to th e a bsence of und e rstanding th a t exists between the United Nations on the one hand and the government of the Union of South Afric a on the othe r .

The Unite d Nations whilst recogmz1ng its responsibility for the indi genous people of South West Afr i ca has n o t b ee n abl e t o study on-the- spot conditions und e r which th e people live a nd to und e rstand the seriousness with which the y r egar d their futur e .

The Union of South Afric a not only ha s been uncooperati v e in this b u t h as taken a firm stand agains t the Unit e d Nations 1 rightful and justified inte rvention in thi s m a tte r. Tha t government does not r ·ecogniz e the opinions of th e Inter n a tiona l Court of Jus ti ce on this matter; it does not r ecogniz e the a ction taken b y th e Unite d Nations in t erm s of these opinions; n e ither doe s it r ecogni ze t h e r ight of th e i ndig e nou s people of t he Ter ritory to petition the United Nations on it s a dministr a tion of the T erritory.

I h ave come her e t o symbolise our confidence i n the Unite d Nation s and our hopes for the futur e . I have come h ere with full authority to speak on b ehalf of the Herero P eop l e of South West Afric a and in behalf of all th e indigenous people of the Territory. I am h ere furth e r to r e - es t a bli sh p e rsona l contact with our represent a tives her e , M ess rs . Michael Scott a nd Mburumba Ker i na , who have not b een able to r eport back to the people in South West Africa;

to es t a bli sh further cont ac t with th e United Nation s and the w orld a t l arge and if possible clear the confusion a bo u t our aspir a tions;

to inform the United Nations and the world a bout our problems in South W est Afric a and our opinions on th e m;

and to convey to the people of So u th West Africa accurate reports on attitudes h ere th a t concern them.

Jarir e tundu Kozongui z i

The American Committe e on Afr ica is inde bte d to Winifred Courtne y for e d i ting this pamphlet.

Published by the American Committee on Africa

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