Against a background of opposition from certain school authorities and interference by the security police, students in Namibia have formed a new national organisation. Over one hundred students representing some 30 educational institutions attended the inaugural conference held between 28 June and 4 July at the Dobra Training College near Windhoek. They came from universities, technikons, colleges and high schools representing those studying in Namibia as well as outside the country. The new organisation, the Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) was the result of a long process of discussion and planning (see FOCUS 49 p.3).
A statement issued after the conference said that NANSO aims to unite 'all Namibian students irrespective of colour, creed and political convictions, so that they can jointly address themselves to all aspects of life affecting students as part of the community' (RDM 6.7.84).
There has been no active national organisation of Namibian students for a number of years. The Namibian Black Students Organisation (NABSO) was formed in 1975 and led school boycotts against 'Bantu education' in the period after the Soweto uprising of 1976. It supported the ideology of Black Consciousness. Recently, Namibian students at South African universities have become more organised. At the University of the Western Cape the dormant Namibian Students Organisation (NAMSO) was revived (FOCUS 8 p.14, 9 p.16; The Student Voice No. 4, August 1984; Namibian Review No. 28, April–June 1983).
INAUGURATION HARASSED Security police harassed participants in the inaugural meeting of NANSO, questioning them about the newly elected executive. In response to this the organisation's leadership was only named publicly towards the end of July. It is composed of nine elected and one co-opted member drawn from both university and school students (WA 24.7.84).
A number of messages of support from other student bodies were received by the new organisation. Sechaba Montsitsi, an executive member of the Soweto Youth Congress (SOYCO), one of the many recently formed South African youth organisations, attended the meeting.
One indication of the growing organisation of students in Namibia has been the production of two student papers 'The Student Voice' and 'The Namibian Student'. The conference adopted 'The Student Voice' as the official news organ of NANSO whilst 'The Namibian Student' is to continue as an independent newspaper (The Student Voice, No. 4; WA 18.7.84).
Other messages of support came from the Azanian Students Organisation (AZASO) and the Congress of South African Students (COSAS). In August NANSO congratulated the United Democratic Front (UDF) on its first anniversary (The Student Voice, No. 4).
It was reported that principals of certain schools were strongly opposed to the launching of the organisation: at least one head forbade his pupils attending, on pain of expulsion. In spite of this the students came together under the theme 'United we stand, divided we fall'. As NANSO's vice-president stated: 'Unacceptable education policies foisted on students have forced them to face these problems jointly' (RDM 6.7.84; WA 1.8.84).
JA TOIVO POST Andimba Toivo ja Toivo, who was released on 1 March 1984 after 16 years imprisonment, was unanimously elected secretary-general of SWAPO at the sixth annual general meeting of SWAPO's central committee in Luanda in August. He was also proclaimed a hero of the Namibian Revolution. SWAPO called for the immediate and unconditional release of all the other political prisoners (WA 14.8.84).
