Editing South West Africa (section)

===Three-tier system of governance (1980–1989)===
The South African government convened the [[Turnhalle Constitutional Conference]] between 1976 and 1978 with a view to achieving an "internal" solution to the status of South West Africa. The conference was attended by representatives of 11 ethnic groups: [[Herero people|Herero]], [[Baster]], [[Tswana people|Tswana]], [[Damara people|Damara]], [[Ovambo people|Ovambo]], [[Lozi people|Lozi]], [[Nama people|Nama]], [[Kavango people|Kavango]], [[San people|San]], the [[Coloured people in Namibia|Coloureds]], and the [[White Namibians|Whites]]. However, the largest freedom movement, [[SWAPO]], was not invited.<ref name=DTA>{{cite web
 |url          = http://rehobothbasters.com/newsdetails.php?id=136
 |title        = DTA 'Down but Not Out'
 |first        = Kuvee
 |last         = Kangueehi
 |publisher    = [[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]] (via rehobothbasters.com)
 |date         = 22 October 2004
 |access-date  = 8 September 2011
 |archive-date = 4 March 2016
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035017/http://rehobothbasters.com/newsdetails.php?id=136
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> The conference produced a 29-page document entitled ''"Petition for the establishment of an interim government"''. The petition contained a request to set up an interim government for the territory, as well as a draft constitution for "a republican, democratic state" to be known as "South West Africa/Namibia" with its own flag and national anthem.{{sfn|Landis|1977|p=12-13}}

Under the proposals, there was to be a three-tiered system of governance. The first tier, the Central Government, would consist of a  National Assembly which would appoint a Council of Ministers. The second tier would consist of ethnically based Representative Authorities and the third tier would be made up of Local Authorities.<ref name="www2.mnhs.org">[http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00697/pdfa/00697-00100.pdf Find aids]mnhs.org {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712164852/http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00697/pdfa/00697-00100.pdf |date=12 July 2023 }}</ref>

====Tier one: Central Government====
;Interim Government (1980–1983)
The upper tier of governance consisted of an elected fifty member National Assembly with legislative powers. The assembly would appoint a Council of Ministers with executive powers. [[1978 South West African legislative election|Multi-racial elections]] for the National Assembly were held in December 1978. The [[Democratic Turnhalle Alliance]] (DTA) won 41 of the 50 seats and its leader, [[Dirk Mudge]] would become Chairman of the Council of Ministers on 1 July 1980. Johannes Skrywer, also of the DTA, became Speaker of the National Assembly.<ref>{{Cite news
|title=Johannes Skrywer gestorben
|trans-title=Johannes Skrywer died
|language=German
|work=[[Allgemeine Zeitung (Namibia)|Allgemeine Zeitung]]
|date=18 September 2014
|url=http://www.az.com.na/lokales/johannes-skrywer-gestorben.420387|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140918074852/http://www.az.com.na/lokales/johannes-skrywer-gestorben.420387|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|title=Democratic Elections in Namibia. An International Experiment in Nation Building
|publisher=[[National Democratic Institute for International Affairs]]
|date=June 1989
|page=12
|url=https://www.ndi.org/files/158_na_election_060189.pdf
|ref=CITEREFNDI1989}}</ref>

The interim government collapsed on 18 January 1983 following the resignation of the Council of Ministers citing interference from the South African government and proposals to create a State Council.<ref>{{cite book
|last1=Nohlen
|first1=Dieter
|last2=Krennerich
|first2=Michael
|last3=Thibaut
|first3=Bernhard
|title=Elections in Africa: a data handbook
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9v1MnKYHSLoC&pg=PA660
|year=1999
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|isbn=0-19-829645-2
|page=660}}</ref>

;Direct rule (1983–1985)

Following the collapse of the Interim Government, its legislative and executive powers returned to South African Administrator-General [[Willie van Niekerk]], who was assisted by and Jan F Greebe as chief executive officer. The Representative Authorities and Local Authorities continued to function as intended during this period.

;Transitional Government of National Unity (1985–1989)
{{main|Transitional Government of National Unity (Namibia)}}

A [[Multi-Party Conference (Namibia)|Multi-Party Conference]] was established in September 1983 to suggest arrangements for the formation of a new Central Government. Nineteen parties participated in the conference, but again SWAPO was excluded.<ref name="KD83">{{cite web
|title=Chronology of Namibian History, 1983
|url=http://www.klausdierks.com/Chronology/125.htm
|last=Dierks
|first=Klaus
|author-link=Klaus Dierks
|access-date=29 October 2014}}</ref>

The Multi-Party Conference issued the ''Windhoek Declaration of Basic Principles'' in 1984<ref name="KD84">{{cite web
|title=Chronology of Namibian History, 1984
|url=http://www.klausdierks.com/Chronology/126.htm
|last=Dierks
|first=Klaus
|author-link=Klaus Dierks
|access-date=29 October 2014}}</ref> and a ''Bill of Fundamental Rights and Objectives'' the following year, resulting in the establishment of a Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) on 17 June 1985.<ref name=KD85>{{Cite web
|title=Chronology of Namibian History, 1985
|last=Dierks
|first=Klaus
|author-link=Klaus Dierks
|publisher=klausdierks.com
|access-date=29 October 2014
|url=http://www.klausdierks.com/Chronology/127.htm}}</ref>

Unlike the previous Interim Government, the TGNU was not directly elected but instead consisted of an appointed 62 member National Assembly and an 8-member Council of Ministers which would be led by each member on a three-month rotational basis. The DTA was awarded 22 seats in the National Assembly with five other parties being awarded 8 seats each.{{sfn|NDI|1989|p=13}} Johannes Skrywer would again become Speaker of the National Assembly and [[Dawid Bezuidenhout]] would be the first Chairman of the Council of Ministers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.namibiana.de/namibia-information/who-is-who/personen/infos-zur-person/johannes-skrywer.html | title=Johannes Skrywer vorgestellt im Namibiana Buchdepot }}</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20230710164018/https://invenio.unidep.org/invenio//record/23713?ln Address by Mr David Bezuidenhout. First chairman of the cabinet at the inauguration of the transitional government of national unity in Windhoek on monday, 17 june 1985]}}</ref>

====Tier two: Representative Authorities====
The second-tier of governance in South West Africa consisted of ethnic-based Representative Authorities which replaced the previous system of [[Bantustan]]s that were established in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Each authority would have executive and legislative competencies, being made up of elected Legislative Assemblies who would appoint Executive Committees led by chairmen. 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.<ref>{{cite web|title= Official Gazette|website=lac.org.na
|url=https://www.lac.org.na/laws/1982/whi23.pdf|access-date=18 March 2024}}</ref> Unlike the former Bantustans, Representative Authorities functioned on the basis of ethnicity only and were no longer based on geographically defined areas. 

Representative Authorities were created for [[White Namibians|Whites]], [[Coloured people in Namibia|Coloureds]], [[Ovambos]], [[Kavango people|Kavangos]], [[Lozi people|Lozi]], [[Damaras]], [[Nama people|Namas]], [[Tswanas]], and [[Herero people|Herero]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.orusovo.com/namcon/sched8.htm | title=Constitution of Namibia - Schedule 8 }}</ref> A similar body had been established for [[Rehoboth Basters]] by the Rehoboth Self-Determination Act, 1976. An advisory council was established for [[San Bushmen]] in 1986. No representative body was established for [[Himba people|Himbas]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Namibia_homelands.html | title=Namibian Homelands }}</ref>

====Tier three: Local authorities====
Local authorities formed the lowest tier of governance in South West Africa. Previously established local government bodies would continue to exist and new ones could be formed. In urban areas, the local authority would be an elected local council. In rural areas where local governance structures was based on traditional customary law, the relevant Representative Authority could support their further development.<ref name="www2.mnhs.org"/>