Louis Pienaar
Louis Pienaar | |
---|---|
Administrator-General of South West Africa | |
In office 1 July 1985 – 21 March 1990 | |
Preceded by | Willie van Niekerk |
Succeeded by | Office dissolved (Namibian independence) Sam Nujoma (as president of Namibia) |
Personal details | |
Born | Louis Alexander Pienaar 23 June 1926 |
Died | 5 November 2012 Cape Town, South Africa | (aged 86)
Nationality | South African |
Political party | National Party |
Louis Alexander Pienaar (23 June 1926 – 5 November 2012)
Diplomat
In the early 1980s, Louis Pienaar was assigned to Paris as South Africa's ambassador to France.
Namibia
On 1 July 1985, Pienaar was appointed by the National Party government to be Administrator-General (AG) of
Serious negotiations
In May 1988, a
(Tragically, UNCN Bernt Carlsson was not present at the signing ceremony. He was killed on
Transition to independence
UN Security Council adopted resolution 632 on 16 February 1989 requiring that implementation of UNSCR 435 should officially start on 1 April 1989.
Actions by AG Pienaar
On 7 April, AG Pienaar announced that he was unilaterally suspending the independence process, but his decision was quickly repudiated by Pik Botha.[5]
On 11 April, he stated that, contrary to previous undertakings, UNTAG and the South African security forces had "agreed that PLAN soldiers would be interrogated in order to verify the suspected number of infiltrators". Botha overruled AG Pienaar's statement saying "there is no question of interrogation".
On 22 May, AG Pienaar proclaimed AG 11 of 1989: "Establishment and Powers of the Commission for the Prevention and Combatting of Intimidation and Electoral Malpractices".[6] On 8 June, AG 14 of 1989 was proclaimed: "First Law amendment (Abolition of Discriminatory or Restrictive Laws for purposes of Free and Fair Elections)".
On 12 June, AG Pienaar declared a general amnesty against prosecution for all Namibians living abroad and repealed or amended 46 discriminatory laws. (He extended the amnesty eight months later to South African officials and security personnel including the South African Defence Force.)
Following complex negotiations with UNTAG concerning electoral voting procedures, AG Pienaar proclaimed AG 19 of 1989: "Registration of Voters (Constituency Assembly Proclamation)" on 30 June. Registration of voters began on 4 July, and AG Pienaar published a draft proclamation on the election process on 21 July. UNTAG was concerned by this draft, insisting that political party agents should be present at the polling stations and at the counting of the votes. In this way, the Namibian people could be reassured that the voting would be free and fair. The South African side opposed the idea, indicating their determination to dominate the constitution-making process and retain control for as long as possible.
On 13 October, AG Pienaar proclaimed AG 49 of 1989: "The Holding of an Election for a Constituent Assembly".
Demobilization
At the end of August, the UN Security Council called for the immediate demobilization of all paramilitary groups in Namibia (UNSCR 640 of 1989)
Democratic elections
The 11-month transition period ended relatively smoothly. Political prisoners were granted amnesty, discriminatory legislation was repealed, South Africa withdrew all its forces from Namibia, and some 42,000 refugees returned safely and voluntarily under the auspices of the Office of the
(According to The Guardian of 26 July 1991, Pik Botha told a press conference that the South African government had paid more than £20 million to at least seven political parties in Namibia to oppose SWAPO in the run-up to the 1989 elections. He justified the expenditure on the grounds that South Africa was at war with SWAPO at the time.)
Independence celebrations
Namibia's
Government minister
In 1990, on his return to South Africa, Louis Pienaar was nominated to be Minister of Education in President F W de Klerk's government where he was responsible for the dismantling of the structures of apartheid. From May 1992 until April 1993, Pienaar was Minister for Internal Affairs.
Death
Pienaar died at his residence in Cape Town on 5 November 2012.[10]
See also
- Alternative theories of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103#South-West Africa (Namibia)
- History of Namibia
References
- ISBN 9781873836064.
- ^ Text of UNSCR 435 of 1978 Archived 6 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Text of UNSCR 632 of 1989
- ^ Let's not bury the 1 April killings Archived 8 June 2000 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Difficult start in Namibia's transition to independence
- ^ Proclamations by the Administrator General
- ^ Text of UNSCR 640 of 1989
- ^ UNTAG report on Namibia Archived 29 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Namibian independence celebrations
- ^ Windhoek - staff reporter (7 November 2012). "Mixed reactions to Louis Pienaar's death". Namibian Sun. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014.