Project Coast
Encyclopedia
Project Coast was a top-secret chemical
and biological
weapons (CBW) program instituted by the South African government during the apartheid era. Project Coast was the successor to a limited post-war CBW program which mainly produced the lethal agents CX powder and mustard gas; as well as non-lethal tear gas for riot control purposes. Project Coast was headed by Wouter Basson
, a cardiologist who was the personal physician of the then South African Prime Minister PW Botha.
n and Angola
n troops. A perceived threat that its enemies had access to battlefield chemical and biological weapons led South Africa to begin ramping up its own program, initially as a defensive measure and in order to carry out research on vaccine
s. As the years went on, however, research was carried out into offensive uses of the newly-found capability. Finally, in 1981, then-president PW Botha ordered the South African Defence Force
(SADF) to develop the technology to a point where it could be used effectively against South Africa's enemies. In response, the head of the SADF's South African Medical Service (SAMS) division, responsible for defensive CBW capabilities, hired Dr Wouter Basson
, a cardiologist, to visit a number of countries and report back on their respective CBW capabilities. He returned with the recommendation that South Africa's program be scaled up, and in 1983, Project Coast was formed, with Dr Basson at its head.
In order to hide the program, and to make the procurement of CBW-related substances, Project Coast involved the formation of four front companies
, Delta G Scientific Company
, Roodeplaat Research Laboratories
(RRL), Protechnik
and Infladel.
Progressively, Project Coast created a large variety of lethal offensive CBW toxins and biotoxins, in addition to the defensive measures. Initially, these were intended for use by the military in combat as a last resort. To this end, a leaf
was taken out of the Soviet book, with a number of devices, designed to look like ordinary everyday objects, being created with the capabilities to poison those targeted for assassination. Examples included umbrellas and walking sticks which fired pellets containing poison, syringes disguised as screwdrivers, and poisoned beer cans and envelopes.
In the early 1990s, with the end of apartheid, South Africa's various weapons of mass destruction
programs were stopped. However, despite efforts to destroy equipment, stocks, and information from these programs, still remain. This has led to fears that they may find their way into the hands of terrorist
networks. In May 2002, Daan Goosen - the former head of South Africa's biological weapons program - contacted the US FBI
and offered to exchange existing bacterial stocks from the program in return for 5 million dollars together with immigration permits for him plus 19 other associates and their family members. The offer was eventually refused, with the FBI claiming that the strains were obsolete and therefore no longer a threat.
s and anticholinergic
deliriant
s, which have been researched by virtually all countries that have carried out CW research. However the South African program differed in its aims from the CBW programmes of many countries in that a major focus of the program was to develop non-lethal agents to help suppress internal dissent. This led to the investigation of a number of unusual non-lethal agents, including illicit recreational drugs such as MDMA, methaqualone
and cocaine
, as well as several medicinal drugs such as diazepam
, ketamine
, suxamethonium and tubocurarine
, as potential incapacitating agents. According to the testimony given by Wouter Basson
to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a number of analogues of these compounds were prepared and studied, and both methaqualone and MDMA (along with the deliriant BZ
) were manufactured in large quantities and successfully weaponised into a fine dust or aerosol form that could be released over a crowd as a potential riot control agent. Wouter Basson was later found to have also been selling large quantities of MDMA and methaqualone as tablets on the black market, but the amount manufactured was far larger than what was sold and the court accepted that at least some genuine weaponisation and testing of these agents had been done.
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
and biological
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
weapons (CBW) program instituted by the South African government during the apartheid era. Project Coast was the successor to a limited post-war CBW program which mainly produced the lethal agents CX powder and mustard gas; as well as non-lethal tear gas for riot control purposes. Project Coast was headed by Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson is a South African cardiologist and former head of the country's secret chemical and biological warfare project, Project Coast, during the apartheid era. Nicknamed "Dr...
, a cardiologist who was the personal physician of the then South African Prime Minister PW Botha.
History
In the late 1970s, South Africa became increasingly involved in Angola in operations against Soviet-backed SWAPO, CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n troops. A perceived threat that its enemies had access to battlefield chemical and biological weapons led South Africa to begin ramping up its own program, initially as a defensive measure and in order to carry out research on vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
s. As the years went on, however, research was carried out into offensive uses of the newly-found capability. Finally, in 1981, then-president PW Botha ordered the South African Defence Force
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
(SADF) to develop the technology to a point where it could be used effectively against South Africa's enemies. In response, the head of the SADF's South African Medical Service (SAMS) division, responsible for defensive CBW capabilities, hired Dr Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson is a South African cardiologist and former head of the country's secret chemical and biological warfare project, Project Coast, during the apartheid era. Nicknamed "Dr...
, a cardiologist, to visit a number of countries and report back on their respective CBW capabilities. He returned with the recommendation that South Africa's program be scaled up, and in 1983, Project Coast was formed, with Dr Basson at its head.
In order to hide the program, and to make the procurement of CBW-related substances, Project Coast involved the formation of four front companies
Front organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
, Delta G Scientific Company
Delta G Scientific Company
Delta G Scientific Company was originally a front company established April 1982 in Weldegraan by the South African Defence Force to research and produce chemical weapons within a covert operation known as Project Coast....
, Roodeplaat Research Laboratories
Roodeplaat Research Laboratories
Roodeplaat Research Laboratories was a front company established in 1983 by the South African Defence Force to research, test and produce biological weapons within a covert operation known as Project Coast....
(RRL), Protechnik
Protechnik
Protechnik was a front company established on 24 June 1987 by the South African Defence Force to perform quality assurance testing of chemical protective materials and equipment within a covert operation known as Project Coast.Founded by Dr...
and Infladel.
Progressively, Project Coast created a large variety of lethal offensive CBW toxins and biotoxins, in addition to the defensive measures. Initially, these were intended for use by the military in combat as a last resort. To this end, a leaf
Georgi Markov
Georgi Ivanov Markov was a Bulgarian dissident writer.Markov originally worked as a novelist and playwright, but in 1969 he defected from Bulgaria, then governed by President Todor Zhivkov...
was taken out of the Soviet book, with a number of devices, designed to look like ordinary everyday objects, being created with the capabilities to poison those targeted for assassination. Examples included umbrellas and walking sticks which fired pellets containing poison, syringes disguised as screwdrivers, and poisoned beer cans and envelopes.
In the early 1990s, with the end of apartheid, South Africa's various weapons of mass destruction
South Africa and weapons of mass destruction
From the 1960s to the 1980s, South Africa pursued research into weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Six nuclear weapons were assembled...
programs were stopped. However, despite efforts to destroy equipment, stocks, and information from these programs, still remain. This has led to fears that they may find their way into the hands of terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
networks. In May 2002, Daan Goosen - the former head of South Africa's biological weapons program - contacted the US FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and offered to exchange existing bacterial stocks from the program in return for 5 million dollars together with immigration permits for him plus 19 other associates and their family members. The offer was eventually refused, with the FBI claiming that the strains were obsolete and therefore no longer a threat.
Unusual features
The South African chemical weapons program investigated all the standard CW agents such as irritant riot control agents, lethal nerve agentNerve agent
Nerve agents are a class of phosphorus-containing organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanism by which nerves transfer messages to organs...
s and anticholinergic
Anticholinergic
An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and the peripheral nervous system. An example of an anticholinergic is dicycloverine, and the classic example is atropine....
deliriant
Deliriant
The deliriants are a special class of acetylcholine-inhibitor hallucinogen. The term was introduced by David F. Duncan and Robert S...
s, which have been researched by virtually all countries that have carried out CW research. However the South African program differed in its aims from the CBW programmes of many countries in that a major focus of the program was to develop non-lethal agents to help suppress internal dissent. This led to the investigation of a number of unusual non-lethal agents, including illicit recreational drugs such as MDMA, methaqualone
Methaqualone
Methaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s and in 1962 methaqualone itself was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan...
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, as well as several medicinal drugs such as diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam , first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche is a benzodiazepine drug. Diazepam is also marketed in Australia as Antenex. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures including status epilepticus, muscle spasms , restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal,...
, ketamine
Ketamine
Ketamine is a drug used in human and veterinary medicine. Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar. Pharmacologically, ketamine is classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist...
, suxamethonium and tubocurarine
Tubocurarine
Tubocurarine is a neuromuscular-blocking drug or skeletal muscle relaxant in the category of non-depolarizing neuromuscular-blocking drugs, used adjunctively in anesthesia to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation...
, as potential incapacitating agents. According to the testimony given by Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson is a South African cardiologist and former head of the country's secret chemical and biological warfare project, Project Coast, during the apartheid era. Nicknamed "Dr...
to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a number of analogues of these compounds were prepared and studied, and both methaqualone and MDMA (along with the deliriant BZ
3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate
3-quinuclidinyl benzilate , IUPAC name 1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]Oct-3-yl α-hydroxy-α-phenylbenzeneacetate, is an odorless military incapacitating agent. Its NATO code is BZ...
) were manufactured in large quantities and successfully weaponised into a fine dust or aerosol form that could be released over a crowd as a potential riot control agent. Wouter Basson was later found to have also been selling large quantities of MDMA and methaqualone as tablets on the black market, but the amount manufactured was far larger than what was sold and the court accepted that at least some genuine weaponisation and testing of these agents had been done.
External links
- Project Coast: Apartheid's Chemical and Biological Warfare Programme on-line version of the book
- Public Broadcasting ServicePublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
special report: Plague War: What Happened in South Africa? - Apartheid government sought germs to kill blacks
- Ecstasy Produced for "Riot Control" in South Africa
- NTI Country Overviews:South Africa:Chemical Capabilities