South West African Territory Force

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Insignia of the South West African Territorial Force.svg South West African Territory Force
SWATF Structure overview.jpg
guide
Commander in Chief : Major General Charles Lloyd (1980–1983)
Major General Georg Meiring (1983–1987)
Major General Willie Meyer (1987–1989)
Headquarters: Windhoek , South West Africa
Military strength
Active soldiers:
Conscription:
Eligibility for military service:
history
Founding: 1980
Resolution: 1989
Highest manpower: 22,000 (1987)

The South West African Territory Force (SWATF) even Afrikaans SWA Gebiedsmag (SWA GM) German  as South West Africa Territorial Force or South West Africa Territory Force was the military of the South African occupation policy in the area of the former South West Africa / Namibia during a time subsection of apartheid . The designation SWA / N Territorial Force also occurs subordinately .

overview

The first military units stationed and responsible for South West Africa under South African administration emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1927, the Citizen Force (SWA) was established by South Africans . Their chief commander was Colonel MJ de Jager.

The Proclamation No 234 of 1939 of the South African Union placed South West Africa under the provisions of the Defense Act of 1912 . On the basis of the ordinance, the SWA Command was created in November 1939 from parts of the vigilante ( Citizen Force , reservists) and other military units. On December 1, 1939, the 1 SWA Infantry Battalion (short: 1 SWA Inf Bn ) with headquarters in Windhoek was established, which belonged to the Union Citizen Force .

A systematic recruitment of native and non-European people for the South African armed forces operating in South West Africa began in 1977. Recruitment was based on voluntary military training for members of different ethnic groups. The offer was primarily aimed at Ovambos , Kavangos , Caprivians , Rehoboth Baster and San . Some groups of the Nama and Herero were asked to participate in this military service. The terms of service amounted to a monthly wage of 70 rand as well as the free provision of uniforms, accommodation and food. In the operations units in the northern areas, the volunteers came mainly from the local population. In the interior of the country there were ethnically mixed training sessions. The soldiers trained in this way were members of the South African Defense Force (SADF). According to an interview statement from September 1977 by the Commander-in-Chief of the South African Armed Forces in South West Africa / Namibia, Major General Geldenhuys , the transfer of these military personnel into the structures of a future "South West Africa / Namibia Defense Force" was planned.

A relatively independent army for the South African occupation area of ​​South West Africa was created in 1980 on the basis of the government's longstanding military policy in Pretoria . Formally, however, these armed forces emerged as a result of Proclamation No. AG 105 (1980) entitled Establishment of South West African Territory Force . This regulation was published in the Official Gazette of SWA No. 4237 of August 1, 1980. In fact, the SWATF structures were constituted from September 6, 1980. Before that, special military units already existed in this region under the command of the SADF. The transition to the SWATF took place in an orderly and continuously structured framework. Initially, these military units were formally subordinate to the General Administrator; however, since 1985 there was a SWA Department of Defense . The defense budget for the SWATF in 1986 was R186 million.

In contrast to the racially politically determined military law of South Africa, white, colored and black military personnel served in all military units in the SWATF and were therefore equally involved in the armed conflicts with the SWAPO or PLAN and FAPLA ( Forças Armadas de Libertação de Angola ) and other opposing groups . Until the dissolution of the SWATF and beyond that point in time, this point of view generated internal and external conflicts based on political and ethnic grounds.

The military service in South West Africa / Namibia within the SWATF was introduced in January 1981 for all male citizens of the occupied territory between the ages of 18 and 24 years. Men were not called up if they lived in border regions, especially in the Owambo , Kavango and Caprivi homelands . According to a statement by an army spokesman, enough volunteers from these groups of people are said to have served in regional battalions. Church groups and political organizations of the black population raised serious concerns about being called up in these areas because it could bring family members on different military sides against each other. The Damaraland Council rejected the use of this military service among its people. For politically motivated conscientious objectors, compulsory service was carried out in non-fighting units.

The SWATF consisted of five main components around 1987:

  • Headquarters , staff for staff, operations centers, information services, finance and logistics,
  • Reaction Force (Citizen Force), part of the SW Reserve Force for national defense and counter-terrorism,
  • Area Force (Commandos), part of the SW Reserve Force for reconnaissance against PLAN groups,
  • Full-time Auxilliary Force , voluntary service for the later establishment of national armed forces,
  • Air Force (only the 1st SWA Squadron , otherwise guaranteed by the South African Air Force ).

Management staff

In the course of the formation of the SWATF, South Africa transferred on February 8, 1980 the military high command in the area of ​​South West Africa / Namibia from the SADF SWA Command under Major General Johannes Geldenhuys to the new military command structures of the SWATF. Major General Charles Lloyd was appointed commander in chief of the SWATF when it was founded. Its first chief of staff was Brigadier Jan Klopper .
Regulations published in Pretoria and Windhoek on August 1, 1980 officially announced the list of the SWATF. This consisted of the previously stationed units of the South African security forces. In the course of the implementation of these legal bases, executive control was transferred from South Africa to the Council of Minsters in SWA / Namibia, as a result of which a Department of Defense was formed here.

Charles Lloyd handed over General Officer Commanding the SWATF ( SWATF ) to Georg Meiring on November 9, 1983 .

The command of the SWATF and the South African Army Forces in SWA passed on January 23, 1987 from Major General Georg Meiring to Major General Willie Meyer . Meyer previously served as Second-in-Command in South West Africa before serving as Officer Commanding of OVS Command in January 1983 .

In 1979 the training began at the SWA Military School in Okahandja .

Regional force structure

The commander-in-chief of the SWATF, George Meiring, announced in a press statement on December 21, 1984 that the armed forces subordinate to him had 19,000 troops, 61 percent of whom were stationed in the border area between SWA / Namibia and Angola.

The following military districts of the SWATF existed:
Abbreviation: AME in afrikaans : Area Mag Eenheid; AFU in English : (Area Force Unit)

  • Sector 10 ( Kaokoland and Owambo ) - Oshakati Headquarters
    • This military district consisted of four modular battalions (Bn): Bn 51 in Ruacana , Bn 52 in Oshakati, Bn 53 in Ondangwa and Bn 54 in Eenhana . Also the units of the SWATF, the 101 Bn in Ondangwa and 102 Bn in Opuwo , 61 Mechanized Battalion in Omuthiya , 25 Engineering Squadron in Oshakati, 5 Maintenance Unit in Ondangwa and a training unit in Oshivelo .
  • Sector 20 ( Kavango and Western Caprivi ) - Rundu Headquarters
    • 55 Bn in Nepara , 32 Bn in Buffalo, SWATF 201 Bn in the Omega base , 202 Bn in Rundu and 203 Bn in Mangetti.
  • Sector 30 - Otjiwarongo Headquarters (Citadel).
    • 301 Bn in Otjiwarongo, SWATF Otjiwarongo AME , Outjo AME , Grootfontein AME , Tsumeb AME , Hereroland AME , Ethosa AME , Otavi AME , Damaraland AME and UIS PL . The units were also responsible for the regions of Grootfontein, Tsumeb, Otavi, Outjo, Otjiwarongo, Hereroland and Damaraland.
  • Sector 40 - Windhoek Headquarters
    • 911 Bn , 1 SWA PRO Unit , SWATF Alte Feste AME , Khomas AME , Hochl AME , Okahandja AME , Omaruru AME , Swakopmund AME , Rehoboth AME , Katatura AME and Khomasdal AME .
  • Sector 50 - Gobabis Headquarters
    • SWATF Aranos AME , Auob AME , Bo-Nossob AME , Aminius PL , Gobabis AME , Rietfont AME , Mariental AME and Maltahöhe AME .
  • Sector 60 - Keetmanshoop Headquarters
    • SWATF Karasburg AME , Keetmanshop AME , Hoop AME , Bethanien AME , Oranjemund AME , Luderitz AME and Namaland AME .
  • Sector 70 ( Eastern Caprivi ) - Mpacha Headquarters
    • SWATF 701 Bn in Mpacha with the support of the SWATF Vehicle Infantry and Artillery Battery. A South African Navy Marine Company was stationed here for patrols in the river zones.

In contrast to South Africa, ethnically mixed units existed in the armed forces of South West Africa. These were so-called ethnic battalions . These were mainly the units 21 Battalion , 61 Battalion , 62 Battalion and 101 Battalion . For example, the attack on Cassinga was a South African-led military operation that used enthnically mixed combat troops.

Points of conflict in the legal framework (selection)

Case of Erick Binga

In 1983 the Supreme Court of South West Africa (for example: Supreme Court of South West Africa) in Windhoek had a question to examine whether the South African military law at that time was even valid in South West Africa / Namibia. A young conscript, Erick Binga, escaped from the draft notice and his father declared this draft notice to the Supreme Court as "null and void".

The panel of judges dismissed Erick Binga's claim, but he appealed, which was upheld on September 21, 1984. His lawsuit was formally directed against the Administrator-General , the South African Minister of Defense and the Military Exemption Board on the grounds that South African law was not valid in South West Africa. According to his argumentation, the applied legislation for the area is a “totally illegitimate exercise of power”.

The legal dispute dragged on for several years and was heard in 1988 (Az. 250/1984) before the Supreme Court of South Africa Appellate Division in Bloemfontein . Binga's view was quoted during the 1988 trial: “It is a matter of no consequence to me that I have been called up by the South West Africa Territory Force and not the South African Defense Force. In truth and in fact there is no essential difference between the two "(German as:". It does not matter that I from the South West Africa Territory Force and not from the South African Defense Force have been asked in truth and in. In reality there is no essential difference between the two. ”).

As a result of inquiries and protests from international and national organizations regarding the application of South African law ( South African Terrorism Act 1967 , South African Defense Act 1957 , several ordinances ( proclamations ) of the Administrator-General between 1977 and 1978) within the scope of security legislation on the territory of SWA / Namibia, legal practice got into an increasingly untenable situation. The Administrator-General of SWA / Namibia appointed a commission under the leadership of Judge HP von Dyk from the circle of the Transvaal Bench of the Supreme Court to clarify any fundamental questions that arise . The full name of this body was: Commission to inquire into and to report and to make recommendations on the adequacy, fairness and efficiency of legislation pertaining to the internal security .

international law

The original Mandate C of the League of Nations provided for the following provision in Article IV of the Mandate Agreement Regarding German South-West Africa of December 17, 1920 for the South African Union with regard to the former German South West Africa for the military competence of the exercise of the mandate :

“The military training of the natives, otherwise than for purposes of internal police and the local defense of the territory, shall be prohibited. Furthermore, no military or naval bases shall be established or fortifications erected in the territory. "

“The military training of the indigenous people, other than for the purpose of the domestic police and the regional defense of the area, is prohibited. Furthermore, no military or naval bases should be set up or fortifications built in this area. "

Since 1946, the South African government has considered the “former” League of Nations mandate to be “expired” because it expired when the League of Nations was dissolved. According to internationally widespread legal conceptions, South Africa's position on its mandate represented a " Rubicon " and was viewed as a breach of an international agreement.

Relations with SADF

It only appeared that SWATF was an army in its own right. Their command structures were integrated into those of the SADF. Outwardly, the SWATF differed from the SADF in terms of its own uniforms, rank structures and salaries. In the opinion of its former top commander, it should be "part of the independence process" and "form the basis for the army of a new state".

Intelligence cooperation

Even before the SWATF was established, NIS employees were stationed in Windhoek at the headquarters of the South African Armed Forces (SADF). After the founding of the SWATF, the cooperation with the South African intelligence service continued. Members of the NIS General Staff from Pretoria worked at this location. The cooperation with military contacts took place via the local Joint Intelligence Coordinating Committee .

Military operations

Sectors of the SWATF in the north of South West Africa

In the course of its existence, the SWATF have often been in direct military confrontation with SWAPO or its military sub-organization PLAN and FAPLA in southern Angola.

Military vehicles of the former FAPLA units

General Charles Lloyd reported in a press conference on August 10, 1981 in Windhoek about the installation of an enemy radar-based early warning system in southern Angola and the presence of Soviet SAM surface-to-air missiles in the port of Moçâmedes and in Lubango . On August 23, 1981, the South African Air Force bombers destroyed the early warning system.

In the course of Operation Protea between August 24 and 29, 1981, SWATF and SADF units advanced from Ruacana to southern Angolan territory along the Kunenelaufs to Calueque . At Ongiva, SA Air Force air support units bombed a column of vehicles from the opposing side, killing some Soviet military personnel . Army chief Johannes Geldenhuys admitted in a press conference on September 15 in Oshakati that 10 SADF soldiers and two SWATF soldiers as well as two South African air force members had lost their lives in a helicopter shot down.

Special missions, especially those of the Air Force, were carried out by the SADF. For example, Canberra bombers , escorted by two Mirage fighters, assisted the SWATF in aerial reconnaissance in the southern Angolan area in 1982 when the installation of missile defense bases with SAM-3 and SAM-7 was again accepted. Two MIG-21s attacked this advance.

After armed conflict in January 1987 in the area of Môngua ( Cunene province ) between Angolan armed forces and SADF / SWATF units with a total of 61 deaths, the SWATF leadership warned the government of the neighboring country and the FAPLA commanders that military support would continue to be given to the SWAPO forces to give. However, the conflicts continued. Later, on May 20, 1987, Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos stated that there were currently six South African battalions in Angola and that a new offensive was imminent. According to SWATF commander Georg Meiring, several Mirage IIIs from an air force base in the northern Transvaal in southern Angola are said to have fought MPLA troops. Soldiers from the SWATF and SADF lost their lives in combat operations in the autumn of 1987 on Angolan territory. According to Angolan information, around 3,000 men of the South African armed forces were in Angola at this time and up to 35,000 men (according to SADF only 1,125 men) are said to have been stationed on the northern border of SWA / Namibia. In the context of this development, President Pieter Willem Botha came to a secret troop visit to the area of ​​southern Angola in November 1987. A few days later, in early December, the South African-led security forces penetrated even deeper into Angolan territory. In June 1988, politicians from the conflicting parties South Africa, Angola and Cuba met in Cairo for a US-led meeting to discuss the possibility of troop withdrawal from this combat zone.

Historical reception

In 2014 the organization Namibia War Veterans Trust (NAWVET) was formed, whose members come from former members of the SWATF and Koevoet units. They demand from the state of Namibia to officially recognize them as war veterans and to grant them the same status as other veterans of the liberation struggle. The request was made at a meeting in Okankete not far from Ondangwa . Representatives from NAMRIGHTS and the Forum for the Future (FFF) were present. The NamRights boss said that SWATF and Koevoet had perpetrated unspeakable atrocities against innocent civilians in the country, but that SWAPO leaders also had "blood on their hands".

President Pohamba responded to the request: “I am asked to give veteran status to the [SWATF / Koevoet]. I will not give war veteran status to killers, and if they continue to threaten [...]. They talk about national reconciliation, but national reconciliation has its borders. If you go beyond the borders you are opening up wounds. "(German for example:" I am requested to grant veteran status [to SWATF / Koevoet]. I will not give the killers war veteran status, even if they continue to threaten [...]. They talk about national reconciliation, but national reconciliation has its limits. If you go beyond these limits, you open wounds. ").

The current politics in Namibia sees the members of these former military units as enemy collaborators (German: "hostile collaborators"). The trigger for this debate was a South African court decision (High Court, Moses Mavundla) from 2012, according to the principle of which none of the former “apartheid soldiers” of indigenous descent could be integrated into the new SANDF army.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ SAIRR : Survey of Race Relations in South Africa 1981 . Johannesburg 1982, pp. 444, 446
  2. ↑ a b c S. D. Olley: 1 SWA Provost Unit, 1968-1989 . on home.mweb.co.za (English)
  3. ↑ Andries M. Fokkens: The suppression of Internal Unrest in South West Africa (Namibia) from 1921 to 1933 . In: Scientia Militaria, Vol. 40 (2012), No. 3, pp. 109–146, online at www.ajol.info (English)
  4. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1977 . Pp. 602-603
  5. ^ André du Pisani : SWA / Namibia: The Politics of Continuity and Change . Jonathan Ball Publishers , Johannesburg 1985, p. 515 ISBN 978-08685-009-28
  6. ↑ a b c Joe Pütz, Heidi Von Egidy, Perri Caplan: Political Who's who of Namibia . Magus, Windhoek 1987, p. 227
  7. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1982 , p. 617
  8. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1981 , p. 446
  9. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1980 , p. 651
  10. ^ SAIRR: Survey 1982 , p. 619
  11. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1981 , p. 453
  12. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1981 , p. 446
  13. ^ A b c C. J. Nöthling: Military Chronicle of South West Africa (1915 - 1988) . In: South African Defense Force Review, 1989, online at rhodesia.nl (English)
  14. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1984 , p. 849
  15. ^ Bruce Ross Strachan: Military Operations - Militere Operasies: The South West Africa Sectors . on sadf.info (English)
  16. ↑ Johannes Christiaan Rudolph Liebenberg: Truth and Reconciliation Process and Civil-Military Relations: A Qualitative Exploration . Ph.D. -Dissertation at UNISA , Pretoria 2008, pp. 195–200 (PDF document pp. 195–200), online at www.unisa.ac.za (English)
  17. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1983 , p. 610
  18. ^ Binga v Cabinet for South West Africa and Others (250/1984) 1988 ZASCA 22 (24 March 1988) . online at saflii.org (English)
  19. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1983 , p. 607
  20. ^ André du Pisani : Beyond the Barracks: Reflections on the Role of the SADF in the Region . Braamfontein, 1988, pp. 5-6 (PDF document pp. 4-5) ISBN 0-908371-60-8 . online at historicalpapers.wits.ac.za (PDF; 5.3 MB, English)
  21. ^ Ernest A. Gross: The South West Africa Case: What Happened? . In: Foreign Affairs, Volume 45 (1966), No. 1 (October), online at foreignaffairs.com (English)
  22. ↑ Lyndel Prott V.: Some Aspects of Judicial Reasoning in the South-West Africa Case of 1962 . In: Revue belge de droit International, 1967, pp. 37–51, here p. 37 ( bibliographical evidence on haguejusticeportal.net )
  23. ^ André du Pisani: Beyond the Barracks… . P. 9 (PDF document P. 6), quoted from source: Gavin Cawthra: Brutal Force - The Apartheid War Machine . London 1986, International Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa .
  24. ↑ Maritz Spaarwater: A Spook's Progress. From Making War to Making Peace . Zebra Press, Cape Town 2012, pp. 73, 77-78
  25. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1981, pp. 448-452
  26. ^ SAIRR: Survey 1982 , pp. 617-619
  27. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1983 , pp. 610-615
  28. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1981 , pp. 450-451
  29. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1981 , pp. 451-452
  30. ^ SAIRR: Survey 1982 , p. 620
  31. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1987/88 , pp. 525-526
  32. ^ Oswald Shivute: Ex-Koevoet urged to challenge veterans' law . News from May 11, 2014 in The Namibian at namibian.com.na (English)
  33. ↑ a b Oscar Nkala: Namibia rules out benefits for ex-members of the SWATF, KÖVET forces . May 30, 2014 on defenceweb.co.za (English)
  34. ↑ Oscar Nkala: Namibia war veterans vow to press SA for war compensation, benefits for ex-Koevoet, Territorial Force vets October 17, 2012 on defenceweb.co.za (English)