Louis Pienaar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louis Pienaar
Minister of Environmental Affairs
In office 1990–1993
President	FW de Klerk
Preceded by	Gert Kotzé
Succeeded by	Japie van Wyk
Minister of Internal Affairs
In office 1992–1993
Preceded by	Gene Louw
Succeeded by	Danie Schutte
Minister of Education
In office 1990–1992
President	FW de Klerk
Preceded by	Gene Louw
Succeeded by	Piet Marais
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 (1926-06-23)23 June 1926
Died	5 November 2012(2012-11-05) (aged 86) Cape Town, South Africa
Nationality	South African
Political party	National Party

Louis Alexander Pienaar (born 23 June 1926, died 5 November 2012) was a South African lawyer and diplomat. He played a very important role in the history of Namibia. He was the last white Administrator of South-West Africa, which is now called Namibia. He held this position from 1985 until Namibia became independent in 1990.

After Namibia's independence, Pienaar served as a minister in F W de Klerk's government until 1993. He married Isabel Maud van Niekerk on 11 December 1954.

Louis Pienaar's Diplomatic Role

In the early 1980s, Louis Pienaar worked as a diplomat. He was assigned to Paris as South Africa's ambassador to France. An ambassador is a country's official representative in another country.

Namibia's Path to Independence

On 1 July 1985, Louis Pienaar was appointed as the Administrator-General (AG) of South-West Africa. This territory is now known as Namibia. The United Nations Security Council had stated that South Africa was controlling Namibia illegally. They passed a resolution, UNSC Resolution 435, in 1978. This resolution called for Namibia to become independent.

Two years after Pienaar's appointment, Bernt Carlsson was chosen as the UN Commissioner for Namibia. His job was to take over the country's administration for the UN. He would also help create Namibia's first constitution and organize fair elections. These elections would be based on everyone having the right to vote, regardless of their race.

Important Talks for Peace

In May 1988, a team from the United States helped bring together leaders from Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. Observers from the Soviet Union also joined these talks in London.

Later that month, at a meeting between Ronald Reagan (US President) and Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet leader) in Moscow, a big decision was made. Cuban troops would leave Angola, and Soviet military help would stop. This would happen as soon as South Africa pulled its forces out of Namibia.

The New York Accords were agreements made to put these decisions into action. They were signed at the UN headquarters in New York City in December 1988. Cuba, South Africa, and Angola agreed that all Cuban troops would leave Angola. This agreement was called the Brazzaville Protocol. It set up a group called the Joint Monitoring Commission (JMC) to make sure the agreements were followed. The US and the Soviet Union watched over this process.

On 22 December 1988, two agreements were signed:

• One was between Cuba and Angola.
• The other was a three-party agreement between Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. In this agreement, South Africa agreed to give control of Namibia to the United Nations.

Sadly, UN Commissioner Bernt Carlsson was not at the signing. He died in the Pan Am 103 plane crash over Lockerbie, Scotland, on 21 December 1988. South African foreign minister Pik Botha and his team were lucky. Their flight booking was changed at the last minute, and they took an earlier flight.

Namibia's Journey to Independence

The UN Security Council passed Resolution 632 on 16 February 1989. This meant that the plan for Namibia's independence (UNSCR 435) would officially begin on 1 April 1989.

AG Pienaar worked under the guidance of Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Special Representative. Ahtisaari arrived in Windhoek in April 1989 to lead the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG). This group helped Namibia become independent.

The start of the transition was a bit difficult. SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma had promised the UN Secretary-General that his armed fighters would stay in Angola. However, South Africa claimed that about 2,000 armed members of SWAPO's military wing crossed the border into northern Namibia.

AG Pienaar and South Africa's foreign minister Pik Botha put pressure on UNTAG. Martti Ahtisaari then allowed a small number of South African troops to help the South West African Police (SWAPOL) restore order. There was some intense fighting, and many fighters from both sides were killed.

Key Actions by AG Pienaar

On 7 April, AG Pienaar announced that he was stopping the independence process on his own. However, Pik Botha quickly disagreed with his decision.

On 12 June, AG Pienaar declared a general amnesty. This meant that all Namibians living abroad would not be prosecuted if they returned. He also removed or changed 46 laws that were unfair. Eight months later, he extended this amnesty to South African officials and security personnel.

After many talks with UNTAG about how people would vote, AG Pienaar announced the "Registration of Voters" on 30 June. Voter registration began on 4 July. UNTAG wanted political party representatives to be present at polling stations and during vote counting. This would help assure Namibians that the voting was fair.

On 13 October, AG Pienaar announced the official plan for "The Holding of an Election for a Constituent Assembly".

Ending Military Groups

At the end of August, the UN Security Council called for all military groups in Namibia to be immediately disbanded. A week later, AG Pienaar announced he was stopping the activities of the Koevoet paramilitary force.

Koevoet was a special police unit formed by South Africa. The UN believed Koevoet was a military unit that should be disbanded. However, the unit continued to operate in the north with armoured vehicles and heavy weapons. Martti Ahtisaari told AG Pienaar that this was against the independence plan.

On 28 September 1989, Pik Botha announced that 1,200 former Koevoet members would be demobilized (disbanded). Another 400 were demobilized on 30 October. UNTAG military monitors watched over these demobilizations.

Fair Elections and Independence

The 11-month period of transition ended fairly smoothly.

• Political prisoners were released.
• Unfair laws were removed.
• South Africa withdrew all its forces from Namibia.
• About 42,000 refugees returned home safely with help from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Almost 98% of registered voters participated in the elections for the Constituent Assembly. These elections were held in November 1989. Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Special Representative, confirmed that the elections were free and fair.

SWAPO won 57% of the votes. This was just short of the two-thirds needed to freely change the new constitution. The opposition party, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, received 29% of the votes. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 21 November 1989. They agreed to use the 1982 Constitutional Principles for Namibia's new constitution.

Celebrating Independence

Namibia's Independence Day celebrations took place in the Windhoek Sports Stadium on 21 March 1990. Many international leaders attended, including 20 heads of state. The arrival of Nelson Mandela, who had just been released from prison, created great excitement among the 30,000 people watching.

United Nations Secretary-General, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, and the President of South Africa, F W de Klerk, together granted independence to Namibia. AG Pienaar officially handed over power to the president of SWAPO, Sam Nujoma. Sam Nujoma was then sworn in as the first President of Namibia.

Louis Pienaar as a Government Minister

In 1990, after returning to South Africa, Louis Pienaar was appointed Minister of Education in President F W de Klerk's government. His job was to help dismantle the structures of apartheid, which were unfair laws based on race. From May 1992 until April 1993, Pienaar also served as the Minister for Internal Affairs.

Death

Louis Pienaar died at his home in Cape Town on 5 November 2012.

See also

• History of Namibia