A number of organisations have added their voice to the growing protest against compulsory registration for possible military call-up of all males aged 17 to 55, announced by the SWA Territory Force (SWATF) in October 1984.
In addition to SWAPO, which completely dissociated itself from the new measure and declared that none of its office bearers would register, the registration has been condemned by other political groups and church bodies. At a meeting of its board in November 1984, the Evangelical Lutheran Church passed a resolution describing coercion into military service as 'a massive oppression of the whole nation with military might' which would 'create a situation of civil war' and lead to the imprisonment of many people. The Council of Churches in Namibia, in a statement issued on 10 December, reiterated these views and expressed its strongest support for those who refuse to register 'on the grounds of conscience and love for justice, freedom and peace'. The statement also expressed alarm at a letter sent by the SWATF to all secondary schools in Namibia asking for the co-operation of principals to encourage their school leaving pupils to register with the army. The statement was signed by the church leaders, representing the entire executive of the Council of Churches in Namibia.
Other groups declaring their refusal to comply with the new measures include the Mbanderu Council and SWANU. The head of the Mbanderu Council announced that two public meetings had been held at which it had been made clear that none of his followers would register.
SWATF PRESSURE
In an effort to promote its registration campaign, the SWATF has resorted both to threats and pressure, and to propaganda stressing the success of its recruitment measures. In December 1984, a spokesman for the SWATF warned that the army was investigating alleged attempts by some organisations to disrupt registration for national service, and that appropriate action would be taken on completion of the investigation. According to press reports, he was reacting to reports that a number of political parties were advising their supporters not to register. Another press report, investigating the rising levels of unemployment in Windhoek, found that work seekers were told by prospective employers that they must have completed their military training before they could be offered a job.
At a news conference in late December 1984, the Officer Commanding the SWATF, General Meiring, claimed that 3,000 new recruits had joined the permanent units in 1984, but that more had applied to join. SWATF had 19,000 men under arms, comprising 61 per cent of the total armed complement on the Namibian border, he said, adding that the army hoped to increase this ratio. An estimate in a British newspaper in early 1981 put the total number of troops deployed in Namibia, including paramilitary police, at 100,000. This would put the SWATF component of the armed forces at around 20 to 21 per cent, the remainder consisting of South African troops and an estimated seven to ten thousand police.
The introduction of compulsory registration nevertheless indicates that South Africa may wish to shift the focus away from its illegal military occupation of Namibia by increasing the number of Namibian recruits. In January 1985, a SWATF statement announced that more than 2,000 citizens of Namibia were due to report in Windhoek shortly for two years national service. A SWATF spokesman said the figure compared well with that of the previous year, and that this may be ascribed to the registration campaign.
