Background and foundation German South West Africa was established in 1884. After World War I, the
League of Nations gave South West Africa, formerly a
German colony, to the United Kingdom as a
mandate under the administration of
South Africa. When the
National Party won the
1948 election in South Africa and subsequently introduced
apartheid legislation, these laws were also applied to South West Africa which was considered the
de facto fifth
province of South Africa. SWAPO was founded on 19 April 1960 as the successor of the
Ovamboland People's Organization. Leaders renamed the party to show that it represented all Namibians. But, the organisation had its base among the
Ovambo people of northern Namibia, who constituted nearly half the total population. SWAPO used
guerrilla tactics to fight the
South African Defence Force. On 26 August 1966, the first major clash of the conflict took place, when a unit of the
South African Police, supported by the
South African Air Force, exchanged fire with SWAPO forces. This date is generally regarded as the start of what became known in South Africa as the
Border War. One important factor in the fight for independence was the
1971-72 Namibian contract workers strike, which fought for the elimination of the contract labour system and independence from South Africa. An underlying goal was the promotion of independence under SWAPO leadership. In 1973, the
United Nations General Assembly recognised SWAPO as the 'sole legitimate representative' of Namibia's people. The Norwegian government began giving aid directly to SWAPO in 1974. The country of
Angola gained its independence on 11 November 1975 following its
war for independence. The leftist
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), supported by
Cuba and the
Soviet Union, came to power. In March 1976, the MPLA offered SWAPO bases in Angola for launching attacks against the South African military.
Independent Namibia When Namibia gained its independence in 1990, SWAPO became the dominant political party. Though the organisation rejected the term
South West Africa and preferred to use
Namibia, the organisation's original name—derived from the territory's old name—was too deeply rooted in the independence movement to be changed. However, the original full name is no longer used; only the acronym remains. SWAPO, and with it much of Namibia's government and administration, continues to be dominated by the
Ovambo ethnic group, despite "considerable efforts to counter [that] perception". SWAPO president
Sam Nujoma was declared Namibia's first
President after SWAPO won the
inaugural election in 1989. A decade later, Nujoma had the constitution changed so he could run for a third term in 1999, as it limits the presidency to two terms. In 2004, the SWAPO presidential candidate was
Hifikepunye Pohamba, described as Nujoma's hand-picked successor. In 2014, the SWAPO presidential candidate was
Hage Geingob, who was the vice-president of SWAPO. In 2019
presidential election, president Geingob won his second five-year term as Namibian president. ==Ideology==