Klaus Dierks
Encyclopedia
Klaus Dierks was a deputy government minister, a transport planner and civil engineer in Namibia
.
. He studied civil engineering
and history
at the Berlin Technical University and earned a diploma in Engineering in 1965 and doctorates in 1965 and 1992. Immediately after receiving his diploma, Dierks became an engineer in South Africa
before moving to what is now Namibia.
In 1982 Dierks became a member of resistance movement SWAPO rising to be a member of its Central Committee
. He argued for the "Development of the infrastructure regarding the road system in an independent SWA/ Namibia" in 1979 when both the topic of independence and the name "Namibia" were considered revolutionary. In the 1980s he was forced to resign after 22 years of service, and he then set up his own consultative business. It was at this time that Dierks started to write about Namibian history, "pursuing an academic war against the apartheid regime" by outlining the cultural and economic development of the area before the encroachment of European settlers and missionaries, a fact contested by the colonial regime.
At Namibian independence in 1990 he became deputy minister, first with the Works, Transport and Communication portfolio and later in the Ministry for Mines and Energy. He was a member of the National Assembly of Namibia
from independence until 2000, when he retired from politics. He was known for his love of history, mountaineering and photography.
Later he served with the Namibian Electricity Control Board energy regulator and he managed to turn around TransNamib
(the Namibian railway company) from loss to profit in three years.
in the Great Karas Mountains
. He also wrote a number of publications in the field of transport and telecommunications.
.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
.
Biography
Dierks was born in 1936 in Berlin-Dahlem, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the Berlin Technical University and earned a diploma in Engineering in 1965 and doctorates in 1965 and 1992. Immediately after receiving his diploma, Dierks became an engineer in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
before moving to what is now Namibia.
In 1982 Dierks became a member of resistance movement SWAPO rising to be a member of its Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
. He argued for the "Development of the infrastructure regarding the road system in an independent SWA/ Namibia" in 1979 when both the topic of independence and the name "Namibia" were considered revolutionary. In the 1980s he was forced to resign after 22 years of service, and he then set up his own consultative business. It was at this time that Dierks started to write about Namibian history, "pursuing an academic war against the apartheid regime" by outlining the cultural and economic development of the area before the encroachment of European settlers and missionaries, a fact contested by the colonial regime.
At Namibian independence in 1990 he became deputy minister, first with the Works, Transport and Communication portfolio and later in the Ministry for Mines and Energy. He was a member of the National Assembly of Namibia
National Assembly of Namibia
The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...
from independence until 2000, when he retired from politics. He was known for his love of history, mountaineering and photography.
Positions
- 1990-1995 Deputy Minister in the Namibian Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications
- 1995-2000 Deputy Minister in the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy
Later he served with the Namibian Electricity Control Board energy regulator and he managed to turn around TransNamib
TransNamib
TransNamib is the railway parastatal of Namibia. Organised as a holding company, it provides freight by rail and road as well as passenger services. Its administration is located in Windhoek.-History:...
(the Namibian railway company) from loss to profit in three years.
Publications
Dierks wrote a number of scientific publications including his doctorate on the development of an improved road system in Namibia and publications on history and the settlement of ǁKhauxaǃnasǁKhauxaǃnas
ǁKhauxaǃnas is an uninhabited village with an ancient ruined fortress in south-eastern Namibia, east of the Great Karas Mountains. It is the oldest systematically designed and built structure in Namibia, pre-dating all buildings erected by Europeans...
in the Great Karas Mountains
Great Karas Mountains
The Great Karas Mountains are located in the Karas Region of southern Namibia. They are located in the driest part of the country. ǁKhauxaǃnas, an uninhabited village with a ruined fortress dating to the 18th century, is located to the east of the Mountains....
. He also wrote a number of publications in the field of transport and telecommunications.
Family
Klaus Dierks lived up to his death with his wife Karen von Bremen and his four children in WindhoekWindhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
.