Occasional Paper

South West Africa/Namibia: The south African Government’s response to the U.N Secretary-General’s report on teh implementation of the Western proposal

This is the statement of the Prime Minister John Vorster on the issue of South West Africa in 1978. South West Africa was administered as a mandated territory and since 1946 South Africa made it their policy to continue the administering. The South African Government did not prescribe policy for South West Africa and had assisted them on the road to self-determination. South West Africa requested independence by the end of 1978 and several factors inhibited this process. In this report the issues regarding the United Nations demands with establishing independence in South West Africa is described. The decision of South Africa to go ahead with elections in Namibia is being explained as well as the implications of this decision.