Why did South Africa encourage Afrikaner settlers to move to South West Africa?

South Africa encouraged Afrikaner settlers to move to South West Africa (modern-day Namibia) primarily for security reasons, aiming to keep the local inhabitants in check. While economic factors also played a role, the strategic goal of maintaining control over the territory was at least as significant.12

Following World War I, the League of Nations granted South Africa a mandate over the territory, which the South African authorities interpreted as a justification for settlement and the integration of the region as a "fifth province". This policy was part of a broader effort to consolidate power, which included extending the rail system to Walvis Bay and Cape Town to tie the territory's economy directly to South Africa. These actions were fundamentally rooted in an exclusionary approach that denied rights to the Black population and prioritized the interests of the settler minority.12