White civilians in Namibia – particularly the 5,200-strong farming community – are treating the prospect of a stepped-up guerilla war on the country's northern borders seriously by tightening up their own personal security. Many farmers in northern Namibia are starting to equip their property with observation towers, security fencing and alarm systems, and there have been reports in the British press of mercenaries being recruited in London and elsewhere to work as security guards on farms near the Angolan border. Speaking at the end of February, Mr. A.H. du Plessis, the leader of the Nationalist Party in Namibia, warned that "those of us who know the terrain in the north will know it is physically impossible to put an end to the infiltration of terrorists into the country. We will have to prepare ourselves for that".
Precautions that have been taken by the police, army and administration include the issue of information and advice on how to deal with guerilla attacks, research into new types of early warning systems and other equipment, and appeals to farmers to join the Defence Force commandos. A series of public lectures was given in central and northern Namibia during March, for example, by Dr. Jan Kotze, a specialist from the South African Council for Industrial and Scientific Research, on counteracting "terrorism". He was accompanied by Brigadier D.R. Marais, the Officer Commanding the SWA Command.
Commerce and industry are also making their contribution to national security. A small group of prominent Windhoek businessmen have set up the "South-West Africa Anti-Terrorism Fund", to pay out rewards of R50,000 and more for information leading to the arrest and conviction of "terrorists". The fund has been set up with the blessing of the South African Minister of Justice, Mr. J. Kruger, and could well prove to be a warning of more severe penalties in the future for the offence of "assisting" guerillas. In Rhodesia, financial incentives for informers have gone hand in hand with an increasingly punitive approach towards persons convicted of giving food and shelter to guerillas or failing to report their presence.
The build-up of South African security forces in Namibia is, meanwhile, continuing. Namibia's railway system is currently coping with an unprecedented volume of traffic, partly due to substantial movements of troops and equipment around the country. As far as the defence of the northern border is concerned, the South African regime is seeking to counteract unfavourable publicity by making judicious use of statements from the homeland administrations. A motion tabled by Pastor C. Ndjoba, Chief Minister of Ovamboland, calling on South Africa to continue to maintain "law and order" in northern Namibia and to protect the border with Angola, was unanimously adopted by the Turnhalle conference on 16 March. Such a resolution is evidently aimed at legitimising the operations of South African Defence Forces in the country.
