Editing SWAPO (section)

=== Background and foundation ===
{{See also|Ovamboland People's Organization}}
[[German South West Africa]] was established in 1884. After World War I, the [[League of Nations]] gave South West Africa, formerly a [[German colonial empire|German colony]], to the United Kingdom as a [[League of Nations mandate|mandate]] under the administration of [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]].<ref name="Vantaa">{{cite web |url=http://www.vantaa.fi/i_perusdokumentti.asp?path=1;218;58993;1858;29614;75003;75071 |title=The South Africa Mandate 1915–1989 |last=Eerikäinen |first=Marjo |date=14 July 2008 |publisher=Vantaa |access-date=15 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718093128/http://www.vantaa.fi/i_perusdokumentti.asp?path=1;218;58993;1858;29614;75003;75071 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> When the [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]] won the [[1948 South African general election|1948 election in South Africa]] and subsequently introduced [[apartheid]] legislation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/SA-1948-1976/1948-election.htm |title=Formation of the South African Republic |publisher=South Africa History Online |access-date=15 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080816015132/http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/SA-1948-1976/1948-election.htm |archive-date=16 August 2008 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> these laws were also applied to South West Africa which was considered the ''de facto'' fifth [[Provinces of South Africa#History|province of South Africa]].<ref name="EISA">{{cite web |url=http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/namoverview6.htm |title=Namibia: Apartheid, resistance and repression (1945–1966) |date=August 2009 |publisher=Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa |access-date=15 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420064235/http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/namoverview6.htm |archive-date=20 April 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

SWAPO was founded on 19 April 1960 as the successor of the [[Ovamboland People's Organization]]. Leaders renamed the party to show that it represented all Namibians. But, the organisation had its base among the [[Ovambo people|Ovambo]] people of northern Namibia, who constituted nearly half the total population.<ref name="Kae"/>