Dirk Mudge

Dirk Mudge (born in 1928 with Otjiwarongo in the South-western African/Namibia) is a farmer of language Afrikaans and a Namibian Politician, founder of the Republican party in 1977, president of the democratic Alliance of Turnhalle, appointed provisional Parliament of 1979 with 1983 and Minister for Finance of 1985 with 1989.

Old studying University of Stellenbosch, he inherits the family exploitation in Namibia.

Member of the national left, it sits as of 1961 at the legislative assembly of African South-west then under South-African mandate.

In 1973, it is to advise of John Vorster, charged to set up the constitutional conference of Turnhalle of which the goal is to create an local assembly with the limited capacities making it possible to prove the autonomy of the territory at the international community.

Rather progressist, Mudge fails to be made elect with the head of the national party of the African south-west whose members are irritated by the remarks of Mudge preaching the abandonment of discrimination.

In 1977, it founds then the Republican party, in favor of an independence carefully. It rejoins other moderate black parties and in November becomes the first president of the democratic Alliance of Turnhalle (DTA).

Elected to the constituent assembly, it directs the Council of Ministers and successfully undertakes the namibianisation of the civils servant, the equality of wages between blacks and white and the final abolition of the laws of Apartheid. Its relations tended on this subject with the South-African administrator end up causing the resignation of its government. It ends up returning to the transitory government as Minister for Finance of 1985 to 1989.

With the elections of November 1989, it is elected appointed DTA which obtains 28% of the voices. He then becomes the first chief of the parliamentary opposition after the independence of Namibia in March 1990.

He leaves a few years the policy later and withdraws himself in his farm of Namibia.

His/her son, Henk Mudge (born the February 18th 1952 with Otjiwarongo) takes again the direction of the Republican party in 2003 and is made elect Député at the time of the elections of November 2004.

Southern Africa , series world, HS n°45, editions differently, April 1990

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