Tswanaland Explained

Conventional Long Name:Tswanaland
Common Name:Tswanaland
Status:Bantustan
Second-tier authority (1980–1989)
P1:South West Africa
S1:Namibia
Flag S1:Flag of Namibia.svg
Image Map Caption:Location of The Bantustan (green) within South West Africa (grey).
Image Map2:MapBantoustanTswanaland.PNG
Image Map2 Caption:Map of the bantustan.
Year Start:1980
Event End:Re-integrated into Namibia
Year End:1989
Date End:May
Currency:South African rand

Tswanaland was a bantustan and then later a non-geographic ethnic-based second-tier authority, the Representative Authority of the Tswanas, in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), in the far central eastern area of the territory around the village of Aminuis. It was intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Tswana people.

Administrative history

Bantustan

Tswanaland was established as a homeland for Tswana people in South West Africa. However, unlike all other homelands, it was never implemented that way. Herero people were allowed to stay in the area, and Tswanas remained a minority.[1]

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 Tswanas had executive and legislative competencies, being made up of elected Legislative Assemblies which would appoint Executive Committees led by chairmen.

As second-tier authorities, 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.[2]

Transition to independence (1989–1990)

Tswanaland, like the other homelands in South West Africa, was abolished in May 1989 at the start of the transition to independence.

Leadership

See main article: Leaders of Tswanaland. Constance Kgosiemang, an ethnic Tswana, was political leader between 1980 and 1989.[3]

See also

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, Entry for Clemens Kapuuo. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 14 May 2012.
  2. https://www.lac.org.na/laws/1982/whi23.pdf
  3. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, Entry for Constance Kgosimang. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 14 May 2012.