Hereroland
Hereroland was a Bantustan and later a non-geographic ethnic-based second-tier authority, the Representative Authority of the Hereros, in South West Africa, intended by the apartheid-era government to be a self-governing homeland for the Herero people.
Geography
Hereroland can be found in present-day eastern Namibia and encompassed parts of the Kalahari Desert. The Bantustan was located under Bushmanland and bordered Botswana to the east.Background
German colonialism
, present day Namibia, became a German [South West Africa|German protectorate] in 1884 by the decree of Otto von Bismarck. In 1904, the Herero, under the leadership of Chief Samuel Maharero, rebelled against the German colonisers. In reaction to this rebellion, Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha was sent to end the Herero uprising. The German – Herero War, which started in 1904 and lasted until 1907, led to the decimation of the Herero society. It is estimated that the Herero population consisted of roughly 80000 – 100000 Herero people before the German-Herero War, however only roughly 16000 Herero people survived. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were tortured, starved in the Kalahari desert or shot as retaliation for the Herero rebellion which is known as the Herero genocide. After this war, the surviving Herero people were prohibited from practising their religion, were barred from possessing livestock or land, as well as unable to have chiefs as per their traditional customs. Most of the survivors were made up of children and women and they were either conscripted to forced labour or were imprisoned in camps.South African control
South African forces took control of the German colony South-West Africa during World War One. This later led to the creation of Bantustans, such as the Hereroland.Administrative history
Bantustan (1968–1980)
Hereroland was established as a geographically defined Bantustan under the Odendaal Plan in 1968. Because of internal strife among different Herero groups, no unified institutions were established for the Herero people until 1980. Two districts of Hereroland were formed in 1970. The chief of Hereroland West, Clemens Kapuuo, claimed to be the paramount chief of all Hereros since 1970, but this claim was not recognized by the other Herero groups.Representative authority (1980–1989)
Following the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference the system of Bantustans was replaced in 1980 by Representative Authorities which functioned on the basis of ethnicity only and were no longer based on geographically defined areas.The Representative Authority of the Hereros had executive and legislative competencies, being made up of elected Legislative Assemblies which would appoint Executive Committees led by chairmen.
As second-tier authorities, forming an intermediate tier between central and local government, the representative authorities had responsibility for land tenure, agriculture, education up to primary level, teachers' training, health services, and social welfare and pensions and their Legislative Assemblies had the ability to pass legislation known as Ordinances.
The Turnhalle Constitutional Conference and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance
The Turnhalle Constitutional Conference was called together on 1 September 1975, supported and sponsored by apartheid South Africa. The target of the Conference was to develop a constitution for South-West Africa, while still being under the control of South Africa. This unique moment in Namibia's history was the first time that leaders and chiefs from different ethnic and tribal groups were allowed to come together and have political discussions about the future of Namibia's constitution. Many religious institutions in Namibia were opposed to this because it was organised by Apartheid South Africa. Andre du Pisani, a Namibian political scientist, stated on the involvement of the Herero through the Chief Clemens Kapuuo that:The South-West African People's Organisation did not attend this conference due to the lack of autonomy, as well as the United Nations condemning the creation of the constitution due to the lack of its independence from South Africa. However, while this conference was critiqued by various institutions and political parties, it also was an important step for the constitutional development in Namibia.
Clemens Kapuuo, the chief of the Herero, as well as Dirk Mudge, who was the chairman of the conference and an associate of the white minority rule, formed the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance which was promoted by the apartheid regime in South Africa. The new constitution set up a parliamentary regime, a decentralised government that was based on ethnic authorities, as well as a bill of rights. The UN and SWAPO did not recognise the new South-West African constitution which had been supported by Apartheid South Africa.
South African General Administrator
After the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, South Africa introduced a General Administrator who abolished white representation within the Namibian government, as well as other apartheid laws. In 1985 the last South-West African General Administrator, Louis Pienaar, worked together with Martti Ahtisaari, who worked as a representative of the United Nations, to ensure the transition of the independence for Namibia. They accomplished the transition from South African control to agreements on electoral processes and peacekeeping for Namibia in 1989. This change in policy then led to the abolition of the homelands, such as Hereroland, and to the Namibian independence in 1990.Fight for liberation and transition to independence
In 1960, as part of a liberation movement, the South-West African People's Organisation was created and SWAPO's military, known as the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, started a guerilla war in 1966 which led to the end of the illegal occupation of South Africa over South-West Africa in 1988.The United Nations created the United Nations Resolution Plan 435 which implemented democratic elections and the first president Sam Nujoma and his party, the South-West African People's Organisation, was elected in 1989. The independence of Namibia ended after more than 100 years of colonial rule.