Original: German South West Africa ( , DSWA ) was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915 , when it was taken over by South Africa ( as part of the British Empire ) and administered as South West Africa , finally becoming Namibia in 1990 .
Simplified: German South West Africa ( German : Deutsch-Südwestafrika , DSWA ) was a German colony in Africa from 1884 through 1915 .