Imperialism and the National Struggle in Namibia

The struggle for national liberation in Namibia has developed historically into a confrontation between the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) on the one hand and the apartheid regime in South Africa on the other. Yet over the last few years have been witnessed the rise of other political groupings inside Namibia, the staging of the so-calles ‘Turnhalle’ Constitutional Conference and the open involvement of the major Western power in the struggle. This article attempts to explore the broader issue of South African imperialist involvment in Namibia and to examine the response of the Namibian people to that involvement. In so doing it will attempt to throw some light on the current stage of the struggle and to assess some of the more important recent political developments in relation to that broader struggle. Bibl. note.