1971–72 Namibian contract workers strike

Historical During this period, Namibia existed under apartheid as a subjugated colonial state of South Africa and was referred to as South West Africa. and was extended to its mandate territory of South West Africa. By the mid-1960s, about 45 to 50 percent of the Black labour force was contract migrant labour from the reserves north of the Red Line. They cooperated with local workers and SWAPO branches to establish contact with others and kick-start the campaign. Previous organising had already established substantial autonomy in the big compounds. Tactics used to subvert pass laws also allowed significant mobilisation in the compounds. Police responded with mass raids, where all workers were searched systematically and many arrests were made. In March and June, Katutura, Windhoek was raided by police and a checkpoint was established at its only entrance; workers were forced to show valid passes, disrupting pass evasion. In June, the International Court of Justice had ruled that South Africa's ongoing occupation of Namibia was illegal; this encouraged anti-colonial actions in the territory. On the night of November 11, workers destroyed the checkpoint and offices. Police responded with another large raid four days later. By early November, labour organisation became more overt. Organisers at Walvis Bay called a mass meeting, which was attended by most of the compound's contract workers. A deadline was set for the start of the strike, with letters and information sent to other compounds. It was decided that mass meetings would be held on Sunday, December 12, at Walvis Bay and Windhoek, and the strike would begin the following week. The information reached Windhoek on December 5. Under the pass system, workers planned to return to the Ovamboland reserve for the duration of the strike. This was partially in response to earlier statements by Jan de Wet, Commissioner General for Ovamboland, when the government became aware of a potential strike. According to de Wet, contract labour was not slavery since workers signed the contracts. In reality, economic conditions in the reserves and the pass system often forced workers to sign contracts as a means of survival. Special taxation of those in the reserves by the South African government worsened this, some said by design. In a November 28 letter, after the earlier mass meeting, workers at Windhoek responded: After the earlier November meeting, police arrested 14 organisers at Walvis Bay. The meeting also revealed some of the leadership and the timing of the strike to the South African government, which probably played a role in the muted success of the strike in Walvis Bay compared to Windhoek. On December 12, during the planned mass meeting at Walvis Bay (which was also held at Windhoek) the South African government led an anti-strike meeting with pro-government speakers and Bantustan officials. This backfired due to militant worker response, with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELOK)'s Bishop Leonard Auala persuaded to endorse the strike. == Strike ==

The strike began on December 13 in Windhoek and the following day in Walvis Bay, both large worker compounds. when South West Africa was a German colony, as a result of the 1897 rinderpest epizootic. Rinderpest caused massive cattle die-offs, an estimated 95 percent of cattle in southern and central Namibia. The Police Zone boundary was broadly defined by the earlier veterinary cordon fence. In practical terms, however, little changed for contract workers. Some workers returned after the agreement, but many continued to strike. Severe police repression and attacks also persisted against workers who attempted to meet. End of the strike By late February, the strike had been partially broken. Wide-scale opposition continued, however, eventually merging into a long-term guerilla campaign in the north as part of the Namibian War of Independence. and SWAPO member John Ya-Otto cites May 1972. == Aftermath ==

According to a South African law journal, contract labour continued until it was banned with the General Law Amendment Proclamation, AG 5 of 1977. This coincided with the escalation of the South African Border War by the new South African prime minister P. W. Botha in 1979. Contract labour reemerged during the 1990s in Namibia with the labour hire system. "[91] For these reasons, the prohibition of the economic activity defined by s. 128(1) in its current form is so substantially overbroad that it does not constitute a reasonable restriction on the exercise of the fundamental freedom to carry on any trade or business protected in Article 21(1)(j) of the Constitution and, on that basis alone, the section must be struck down as unconstitutional." the law was never implemented, however, since it was suspended on February 27 until the court decision was made. Labour hire has since been partially regulated through the Labour Amendment Act 2 of 2012 which provides some labour protections after the 2007 law was struck down. == See also ==