amibia forced to walk the tightrope 1990. Until then the Constituent Assembly, made up of representatives of the parties who gained enough votes, will meet to draft the future constitution.
A two-thirds majority is needed to pass the constitution, which leaves SWAPO in a dif Ficult position. They will be sitting in the assembly with their old enemies, the pro-South African DTA and a number of smaller parties who will hold a veto over the policies SWAPO has stated it is committed to (notably the redistribution of land). SWAPO will need to make alliances with some of them and may well be forced into compromises on a whole number of issucs.
The country will be walking a tightrope. Conflicting interests between what the mass of black Namibians expect and want out of independence and what South Africa, the transnational corporations (mainly British-based) and the majority of white Namibians want (little or no change may threaten to tear the country apart.
South Africa holds several trump cards. They are still occupying the Walvis Bay enclave, Namibia's only deep water port (and using it as a military base): the majority of Namibia's foodstuffs and consumer goods are imported from South Africa, and the South African goverment is threatening to land the new government with an enor mous debt. SWAPO may opt for caution to avoid any threat of a South African invasion or des tabilisation campaign.
The task of the future SWAPO-led government is an unenviable one. Namibia, according to Oxfam reports, is one of the most poverty stricken countries in Africa, with most of its wealth (uranium, copper, fish, karakul fur) being plundered by foreign companies. Gross inequalities exist between the majority of black Namibians and
the white settler population. Poverty is the main cause of ill health, with diseases like tuberculosis rampant. Infant mortality amongst black people is a staggering 167 per 1,000 births.
Enormous public expenditure will be needed to begin to address the sheer misery in which most black people live - new affordable housing (with electricity and toilets, not to mention more than one room in them!): preventive and primary health care programmes, particularly in the rural areas; public transport (which is non-existent); creches and 50 on. The Namibian townships are chronically overcrowded, unemployment is high and social problems such as alcoholism and prostitution rife (made worse by the recent influx of UN troops into the country).
The whole education system will need to be overhauled as it is based on the imported racist South African "Bantu education' system. And wages need to be drastically increased - at present a black miner carns on average around 50p a day.
The social cost of colonialism and war must be taken into account. Families have been split up due to the migrant labour system, children have been left disabled or orphaned due to the war. People's self respect needs to be built after decades of being exploited and oppressed because they are black. And it will take a long time for the returning exiled Namibians to integrate into Namibia many left years ago or have never seen in their lives.
These seem insurmountable obstacles to establishing independence and rebuilding the country. Key to SWAPO's suc-
cess in leading Namibia through this process will be its ability to promote democracy and grass roots participation in all aspects of life. This will include safeguarding the autonomy of the National Union of Namibia Workers (NUNW), and their affiliated unions.
In order to counteract the years of South African propaganda against SWAPO (that it is an 'Ovambo" organisation) SWAPO will need to show it is not favouring particular 'ethnic" groups against others. SWAPO's election manifesto pledges its commitment to women's rights and to take forward the struggle for women's equality - support for a national autonomous women's movement is key. Workers. women and youth movements have the potential to further educate and politicise people, build on some of the excellent work started by SWAPO in exile (such as primary and preventive health and literacy programmes, skill training etc) and not least to campaign against the manoeuvers of South Africa and international capital on issues the government may be unable to move on.
In newly independent countries, where outside imperialist intervention is an ever present threat, the tendency is to call for national unity above all else while the situation stabilises itself. However, if SWAPO has the confidence, and can take the people with them, then South Africa will have a much more difficult task in trying to wreck Namibia's independence to postpone the inevitable overthrow of apartheid at home.
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