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219:, which wrote the country's constitution. After independence, in 1990 Diergaardt threatened armed secession from Namibia if the government tried to redistribute the land of Rehoboth (as had been discussed prior to independence.) He believed that minority group rights were not sufficiently protected under the
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the historic district of Baster settlement, which had a kind of autonomy under German colonial and South
African rule. The nation's Supreme Court ruled that Rehoboth had no special status in the newly independent Namibia. Before his death, Diergaardt filed an official complaint in 1998 with the
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and was the first local authority in
Namibia to desegregate the school system. He also tried to build alliances at the national level to enable the Basters to have a voice in their future, but the major effort there was on ridding the country of South Africa control.
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In 1976 South Africa granted the
Basters a form of autonomy for the area around Rehoboth under the Self-Government Act, No. 56, in an effort to hold their loyalty. As part of its implementation of a
116:(1975). This was during the period following World War I when South African administered the territory, although the United Nations General Assembly had retracted its mandate in 1966. After that,
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223:. He mounted a court challenge seeking to establish autonomy for the Basters based on their prior history in the country; the Supreme Court ruled they had no special status.
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won narrowly, and
Diergaardt came second. Diergaardt challenged the election results in court; when he won in 1979, he was confirmed as the fifth Baster Kaptein in history.
23:(16 September 1927 – 13 February 1998) was a Namibian politician active for nearly a decade after Namibia gained independence. Prior to that, he was elected as the fifth
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state, which allowed it to operate some governmental powers from June 1985 to
February 1989. Diergaardt was the second chairman of the TGNU.
89:, on 16 September 1927. He became a professional car mechanic but also worked as a farmer, businessman, and politician throughout his life.
239:(2000), the committee found evidence of linguistic discrimination against the Basters by the Namibian government, which refused to use the
185:) from 1979 until independence in 1990. Believing that alliances with native tribes was important, Diergaardt promoted new housing for the
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Both before and after independence, Diergaardt founded several local political parties, among them the
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JOSEPH LELYVELD, Special to the New York Times, "MIXED-RACE NAMIBIAN GROUP SEEKS POLITICAL ALLIES"
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Before his death, Diergaardt filed an official complaint on behalf of the
Basters with the
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Diergaardt is known for his criticism of black-majority rule in the early years of
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began organizing an independence movement, Diergaardt served as
Chairman of the
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in 1979 after winning a court challenge to the disputed election of 1976.
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Diergaardt died from a heart attack in
Rehoboth on 13 February 1998.
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351:" 'Rehoboth Journal;' Fearful Namibian Tribe Raises Flag of Freedom"
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In 1947 Diergaardt started his political career by joining the
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initiated an independence movement in 1966, conducting a
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46:. He represented this party as a member of the
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162:, South Africa supported an election for the
369:"Rehoboth community in danger of extinction"
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302:"Biographies of Namibian Personalities, D"
127:Diergaardt was elected as a member of the
557:Federal Convention of Namibia politicians
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139:in 1969. He participated in talks at the
201:(TGNU). This was directly linked to the
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367:Nunuhe, Margreth (18 February 2013).
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329:30 July 1981, accessed 9 April 2016
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278:Chronology for Basters in Namibia
85:family in Rehoboth, then part of
17:Johannes Gerard Adolph Diergaardt
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243:in dealing with this community.
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217:Constituent Assembly of Namibia
102:Rehoboth Tax Payers Association
48:Constituent Assembly of Namibia
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195:Rehoboth Free Democratic Party
1:
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213:Namibian gaining independence
170:) of Rehoboth. Incumbent Dr.
143:(1975–1977) in opposition to
44:Federal Convention of Namibia
502:; position abolished by the
197:(RFP) and had a seat in the
98:Rehoboth Citizen Association
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193:Diergaardt represented the
177:He served as leader of the
81:Diergaardt was born into a
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339:"Hans Diergaardt", Namibia
124:war against South Africa.
547:People from Hardap Region
498:no successor approved by
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129:Rehoboth Advisory Council
114:Rehoboth Liberation Party
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94:Rehoboth Burgervereniging
19:, more commonly known as
537:Coloured Namibian people
100:). He later founded the
110:Rehoboth Peoples' Party
27:of the then-autonomous
231:Human Rights Committee
67:Human Rights Committee
552:Separatism in Namibia
257:Diergaardt v. Namibia
236:Diergaardt v. Namibia
221:Namibian Constitution
154:Ascension to Kaptein
141:Turnhalle Conference
137:National Convention
106:Rehoboth Volksparty
73:-speaking Basters.
55:independent Namibia
355:The New York Times
241:Afrikaans language
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446:Cornelius van Wyk
381:on 13 April 2013.
341:, World Statesmen
304:. klausdierks.com
112:, 1968), and the
87:South-West Africa
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435:Hermanus van Wyk
419:Captains of the
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377:. Archived from
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131:in 1959. After
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59:Rehoboth Gebied,
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469:Hans Diergaardt
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357:, April 4, 1990
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179:Baster Homeland
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306:. Retrieved
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168:Tribal chief
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104:(1959), the
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532:1998 deaths
527:1927 births
471:(1979–1998)
465:(1977–1979)
454:(1924–1925)
448:(1914–1924)
187:Nama people
521:Categories
475:John McNab
463:Ben Africa
265:References
172:Ben Africa
148:Ben Africa
108:(English:
96:(English:
37:Ben Africa
211:Prior to
206:apartheid
183:bantustan
122:guerrilla
71:Afrikaans
421:Rehoboth
250:See also
33:Rehoboth
477:(1999–)
458:dormant
441:dormant
424:Basters
374:New Era
164:Kaptein
145:Kaptein
25:Kaptein
308:9 June
260:(2000)
83:Baster
29:Baster
233:. In
133:SWAPO
118:SWAPO
310:2011
181:(or
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285:^
412:e
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