XXᵉ siècle – XXᵉ siècle
Namibia
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Namibian contract-labour strike began in Windhoek on 13 December 1971 in opposition to a migrant labour system that separated workers from their families and restricted their employment choices. More than 11,000 workers struck within a week, and an estimated 21,000 people participated in protests across twenty-three places, including eleven mines, by mid-January. Emergency regulations, arrests, transportations, and the reform of SWANLA followed, but the essential structure of migrant labour remained intact.
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Le récit
The strike followed growing criticism of Namibia’s contract-labour system. When the Commissioner-General for Ovamboland defended the system by arguing that recruited men reported voluntarily, the statement became a catalyst for organized resistance. Workers began a coordinated stoppage in Windhoek on 13 December 1971, challenging a labour regime that prevented men from living with their wives and children within commuting distance of their workplaces.
The movement expanded rapidly. Within one week, more than 11,000 workers had stopped work, and by mid-January at least 21,000 people were estimated to have participated in protests in twenty-three places, including eleven mines. More than 13,000 workers were transported by the government, while others withdrew to Ovamboland, broadening the resistance by bringing in peasant opposition.
The confrontation also affected the physical and administrative landscape. More than 100 kilometres of border fence were destroyed in a single night, after which police and army forces intervened. Emergency regulations proclaimed in early February empowered authorities to prevent meetings and detain people without trial; SWANLA was abolished and replaced by homeland labour bureaux, but the essential migrant-labour system survived until the internal resistance was broken by the end of February 1972.
XXᵉ siècle – XXᵉ siècle
Namibia
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Namibian contract-labour strike began in Windhoek on 13 December 1971 in opposition to a migrant labour system that separated workers from their families and restricted their employment choices. More than 11,000 workers struck within a week, and an estimated 21,000 people participated in protests across twenty-three places, including eleven mines, by mid-January. Emergency regulations, arrests, transportations, and the reform of SWANLA followed, but the essential structure of migrant labour remained intact.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The strike followed growing criticism of Namibia’s contract-labour system. When the Commissioner-General for Ovamboland defended the system by arguing that recruited men reported voluntarily, the statement became a catalyst for organized resistance. Workers began a coordinated stoppage in Windhoek on 13 December 1971, challenging a labour regime that prevented men from living with their wives and children within commuting distance of their workplaces.
The movement expanded rapidly. Within one week, more than 11,000 workers had stopped work, and by mid-January at least 21,000 people were estimated to have participated in protests in twenty-three places, including eleven mines. More than 13,000 workers were transported by the government, while others withdrew to Ovamboland, broadening the resistance by bringing in peasant opposition.
The confrontation also affected the physical and administrative landscape. More than 100 kilometres of border fence were destroyed in a single night, after which police and army forces intervened. Emergency regulations proclaimed in early February empowered authorities to prevent meetings and detain people without trial; SWANLA was abolished and replaced by homeland labour bureaux, but the essential migrant-labour system survived until the internal resistance was broken by the end of February 1972.