Proceedings against SA start in the International Court of Justice

Location: back to this day in history search archive South Africa received a mandate from the League of Nations over South West Africa (SWA) on 17 December 1920. Under the rules of the mandate the government of the Union of South Africa was invested with administrative and legislative powers over the territory, subject to certain guarantees. After the founding of the United Nations Organisation (UN) in 1945, that organisation insisted more and more vigorously as the years passed that SWA should become a trust territory, administered by the UN.  In 1949, the General Assembly of the UN decided to ask the International Court of Justice, situated in the Hague, the Netherlands, for an advisory opinion on the status of SWA. According to the court's opinion, delivered in July 1950, the South African mandate was still in force. However, after the Sharpeville Massacre in March 1960, world opinion turned more and more against SA. On 4 November 1960, Liberia and Ethiopia instituted legal proceedings against SA concerning the administration of South West Africa, again in the International Court of Justice. The verdict was given six years later, stating that Liberia and Ethiopia had no legal right to question South Africa's mandate, as they were not directly concerned with the case. The UN did not abide by this decision and set aside the court's findings. After numerous resolutions the Organisation terminated the mandate in 1966. The South African government, however, ignored the termination of its mandate and continued to administrate SWA. On 21 March 1990, after more than twenty years of warfare, Namibia finally became independent. Click here to read more about the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) and the Namibian struggle for independence. Sources: Books: Liebenberg, B.J. & Spies, S.B. (eds) (1993). South Africa in the 20th Century, Pretoria: Van Schaik Academic, pp. 414 & 485. Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds) (1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 11, pp. 78-85 . Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau. Links: