1974 | The OIP is renamed the National
Democratic Party (NDP) to contest Ovambo elections. The NDP is founded by Cornelius
Tuhafeni Ndjoba. It joins the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference in 1975. John Ya Otto flees to Zambia via Angola. Ben Ulenga joins PLAN. The Damara United Front (DUF) is formed after the Damara Council splits. Its Chairman is Engelhardt Hubertus Lourentius Tuban Christy. The National Independence Party (NIP) is formed in Keetmanshoop by Charlie Hartung and Albert Krohne. The party joins the Namibia National Front (NNF) in 1977. Natural dry gas is discovered by SOEKOR and Chevron 170 km west of Oranjemund, in a water depth of 170 m (today known as the "Kudu Gas Field"). Political considerations, however, prevent any further investigation. Due to the "oil crisis", fuel is rationed in Namibia and there are no fuel sales during nights and on weekends. The international mining concerns Rössing Uranium, General Mining and Anglo-American begin with geological investigations in the vicinity of Swakopmund. |
February | SWAPO President Sam Nujoma visits Liberia to brief Liberian President William Tolbert for the forthcoming state visit of SA Prime Minister Vorster to Liberia. |
24.04. | The last All-White Elections for the Legislative Assembly take place and is convincingly won by the National Party. |
25.04. | There is a coup-détat in Portugal. The dissolution of the Portuguese colonial empire begins. The breakdown of Portuguese colonialism in Angola and in Portugal facilitates both flight (approximately 10 000 refugees escape to Namibia in 1975) and increased guerrilla activity. SWAPO Secretary Moses ||Garoëb declares in London that the occurrences in Portugal will stimulate the liberation struggle of the Namibian people. In consequence of this SWAPO moves its headquarter from Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to Luanda in Angola (1975). |
May | The first group of SWAPO members going into exile is led by the PLAN commander Patrick Iyambo (Lungada) and John Ya Otto. The group includes Sam Nujomas three sons Utoni, Ndeshipanda and Nefungo. |
June | There is a mass exodus into exile
of about 6 000 SWAPO members due to a wave of detentions. The exodus significantly boosts
SWAPOs capabilities for extending its military frontier by over 1 500 km from
Ruacana in the west to the Caprivi Strip in the east. Due to the thousands of Namibians fleeing to Zambia via Angola and to the Katanga Province in Zaire, SWAPO is forced to open an office in Katanga with Peter Tsheehama as representative. Among those detained in Namibia are Axel Johannes, David Meroro and Thomas Kamati. Between 1974 and 1978 Axel Johannes is repeatedly detained and tortured in an attempt to make him a state witness against Hendrik Shikongo and Aaron Mushimba in the Swakopmund trial following the assassination of Filemon Elifas in 1975. Other SWAPO activists who are arrested and sentenced to varying prison terms "for sabotage" are Jerry Ekandjo, Jacob Nghindinua, Martin Kapewasha, Eliakim Andreas and the SWAPO Youth League Leader, Ezriel Taapopi. Nghindinua, in his final statement before sentence, says: "We have sabotaged nothing. We are oppressed. The people in Namibia who do sabotage are the whites of South Africa. This court is here illegal and terrorises us in our own land. Only the United Nations may hear us. We do not recognise this court. And we will be back ... ." Most of the accused spent many years on the notorious South African prison island Robben Island. An ethnic army is created for Ovamboland. |
27.08. | The SA Minister for Coloured, Rehoboth and Nama Relations, Hennie Smit, announces that 1 000 372 ha had been purchased for Namaland and 73 790 ha for Rehoboth. |
24.09. | The leader of the Executive Committee of the National Party of SWA, AH du Plessis, operating under directives from Pretoria, states that it has been decided that "the time is opportune for the whites in the Territory to take positive action to hold talks with members of other population groups with a view to reaching agreement as to the political future". |
October | SAs expulsion from the UN becomes a distinct possibility. It is only momentarily averted by a triple veto of the three Western powers in the Security Council. |
22.10. | Self-government is granted to the Eastern Caprivi Strip as from 01.04.1976. The new tribal entity is named "Lozi", with English and Lozi as official languages, and the entity has its own flag and national anthem despite the fact that it is to remain under SA rule. The administrative structures created by Kurt Streitwolf in 1909 remain in force. The two main communities are the Subiya (approx. 38 % of the total population) in the east and the Fwe in the west. These are the only communities which are officially recognised. Others such as the Yeyi (Mayeyi) or the Mayuni are left out. This leads to many conflicts in the next twenty years. |
30.10. | Elections are held for the South West Africa Coloured Council. The FCPP, led by Andrew Kloppers, wins the election. The National Independence Party wins two seats for Charlie Hartung and Albert Krohne. SWAPO, SWANU and the Namibia National Convention (NNC) (founded in February 1975) question the legitimacy of the Council. |
20.11. | Dirk Mudge, member of the Executive Committee of the "all-white" Legislative Assembly, explains that the "whites" are "extending a hand of friendship" to the "non-whites" and that he invites them "to work together with us in a political dispensation in which there will be room for all". |
December |
The National Convention (NC) of
1971 dissolves, after SWAPO leaves it (Conference of Okahandja, under the chairmanship of
Zephania Kameeta). Clemence Kapuuo keeps the original NC alive for a short while. Dirk Mudge of the National Party of SWA and leader of the "all-white" Legislative Assembly approaches leaders of the principal groups in Damaraland with a view to uniting different factions. |
17.12. | UN Security Council Resolution 366 of 1974 gives the SA Government until 01.05.1975 to act positively on Namibian decolonisation and self-determination. |