the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
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experiences for <strong>the</strong> military leadership appointed by Mandela. These<br />
experiences figured prominently in <strong>the</strong> mind <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> new Secretary <strong>of</strong> Defense,<br />
Pierre Steyn, and o<strong>the</strong>rs who were <strong>the</strong> first leaders <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> new Office <strong>of</strong><br />
Secretary <strong>of</strong> Defense (OSD). They believed that a combined headquarters, led<br />
by civilians, was critical for developing a pr<strong>of</strong>essional and fully integrated new<br />
South African National Defense Force (SANDF). An important mission <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
newly created OSD from <strong>the</strong> start was to put in place oversight and accounting<br />
procedures that would make it impossible for SANDF personnel to engage in<br />
<strong>the</strong> type <strong>of</strong> fraud and abuses associated with Project Coast. 168 In 1995,<br />
according to Dr. Ian Phillips, <strong>the</strong> establishment <strong>of</strong> a Defense Department with<br />
<strong>the</strong> assistance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> U.S. and UK cleared up <strong>the</strong> problem <strong>of</strong> military<br />
dominance and <strong>the</strong> “security state.” The 1994 Defense Act created better<br />
structural differentiation and civilian control. The Mandela government had to<br />
find a way to implement <strong>the</strong> Defense Act in a piece-meal fashion, after it had<br />
been found to be unconstitutional, due to certain clauses.<br />
In November 1994, <strong>the</strong> Office for Serious Economic Offenses, a special<br />
unit attached to <strong>the</strong> Attorney General’s department, completed an <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />
report on <strong>the</strong> activities and financial irregularities <strong>of</strong> a network <strong>of</strong> companies<br />
that supplied <strong>the</strong> SADF with pharmaceuticals and anti-chemical <strong>warfare</strong><br />
equipment (i.e., Project Coast). The report was sent to Justice Minster Dullah<br />
Omar. The report was marked top secret and <strong>the</strong> minister was reported to be<br />
studying it. 169 One researcher in <strong>the</strong> Attorney General’s <strong>of</strong>fice reported<br />
studying Project Coast in early 1993. Jan Swanepoel, head <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> OSEO<br />
confirmed to The Weekly Mail and Guardian that <strong>the</strong> company network was<br />
under investigation in connection with “flow <strong>of</strong> funds connected with an army<br />
project.” A report in The Sunday Tribune in December 1994 described <strong>the</strong><br />
network <strong>of</strong> companies working with SADF on <strong>biological</strong> and chemical<br />
<strong>warfare</strong>. They named <strong>the</strong> key directors <strong>of</strong> this network under investigation as<br />
Dr. Wouter Basson, Dr. Wynand Swanepoel, and Dr. Phillip Mijburgh (a<br />
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