the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program

193 For example, Dr Jan Lourens, a bio engineer who worked at Delta G and
later headed Protechnek, was one of the scientists who applied for amnesty to
the TRC after Basson’s arrest. He called the claims that Project Coast was a
defensive program “nonsense.” He proved to be a particularly effective witness
as he was able to produce some of the “James Bond type” weapons developed
to deliver fatal doses of poison applicators (including umbrellas, screw drivers,
signet ring with spring-loaded dose-powder) that had been made to order for
Wouter Basson during his testimony. Lourens was also crucial as a witness
because he testified that SADF chief Gen Kat Liebenberg told him to “forget
about the whole thing…” and then told Lourens that “those are my toys…I
want them back.” Instead, he had buried these “toys” at his Northern Transvaal
farm and resigned from the military. After Basson’s arrest he told his story to
Transvaal attorney general J. d’Oliveira and testified before the TRC.
A former senior procurement official for Delta-G who worked for the
company for eight years agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. This official
proved to be very helpful since he kept a diary of contained details about all
products and raw materials that entered the facility. The diary also described
several business dealings that he had with Thor Chemicals executive, Alan
Kidger, who was subsequently brutally murdered. This unnamed senior
procurement official described Delta-G as "state-of-the-art” research
laboratories consisting of five different facilities and described the cell
structures that ensured that nobody really knew what the other was doing.
194
Michael Evans, “South Africa may have ordered British deaths,” The Times
(14 July 1998), 7.
195 Paraphrase of comments made by Dr. Villa-Vicencia, former senior
investigator for TRC during an interview in July 2000.
196 Frontline transcript of interview from Plague Wars: A report on biological
weapons threats and how the Soviet Union secretly amassed an arsenal of bioweapons.
1998 PBS Online and WBGH/FRONTLINE television show,
http://www. pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plague/sa/.
197 This figure does not include the prosecution cost, those of the seven-year
Office for Serious Economic Offenses investigation, or the cost of forensic
auditor Hennie Bruwer’s investigation.
198 Information in this section is based on an interview with Laura Polleciett,
Director, Freedom of Expression (FIX) and several South African reporters
during July 2000, and on information contained in FIX administrative files.
199 Report on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (“TRC”) Transcript on
South Africa’s Chemical and Biological Warfare. Freedom of Expression
Institute, WWBI:\CS\GB\MM\TRCHearings_CBW.doc., 4/1/99.
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