Special Hearings — Chemical And Biological Warfare Hearings — 1998-06-08

DR BASSON: Mr Chairman, it's a difficult question to answer, to say whether they were involved or not.   Involved in the sense that they were medical officers at 7 Medical Battalion, or that they were involved in defensive training, in other words the use of masks, etcetera, etcetera, and protective clothing, being part of the instructions of the 7th Medical Battalion.  Whether they've provided medical support, there was a certain emergency plan ready.   Should any of the research laboratories make an accident with these substances, they would be able to treat those people.   It does not mean that they knew what was happening there, it does not mean that they were involved, that they played any role in the project as such.   This is a roundabout answer, but they were indirectly part of this as members of the 7th Medical Battalion.

CHAIRPERSON: Were they also ranked members of the South African Defence Force at that stage?

DR BASSON: As far as I know, both of them were, of these two people were members of the permanent Defence Force, and they had ranks before they left the country.

CHAIRPERSON: Mr Vally, any more questions?

MR VALLY: Yes, just a last few questions, I want to point certain things out to Dr Basson.   Dr Basson, you were asked to resign, or you were put on early pension, although you are reasonably young still, from the Defence Force, apparently on the instructions of President F W de Klerk, is that correct?

DR BASSON: The message was conveyed to me like that, De Klerk never told me that himself personally, but that was the message that the head of the Defence Force conveyed to me.

MR VALLY: And when did this happen?

DR BASSON: In December 1992.

MR VALLY: Are you aware that there was an investigation carried out by General Pierre Steyn?

DR BASSON: I've heard about this so-called infamous Steyn Report, I've seen a few notes, but I've never seen the report.

MR VALLY: Well, we have given you documents relating to the staff paper prepared for the Steyn Commission, it was marked TRC, I believe, 111, 111, you were given this with your... (intervention).

CHAIRPERSON: Where are we getting to, Mr Vally?

MR VALLY: I want to point out to Dr Basson the allegations which were being made which may have caused the then government to put him on early pension.

CHAIRPERSON: Put the allegations, Mr Vally, we haven't got time.

MR VALLY: Certainly.   The first allegation, and if you want to look at TRC111 - you don't want to?   That's fine.  The first allegation, involvement in a chemical attack on Frelimo, that's the alleged activity, persons involved - Brigadier Basson, Brigadier Van Wyk, Colonel At Nel - information supplied by sources.   The chemical attack on Frelimo troops in Mozambique, and look at also something else, was after allegations, a practice run, an unmanned observation plane dropped bombs and was tested near Komatipoort.   The... (intervention)

CHAIRPERSON: Is that the allegation you are putting to him?

MR VALLY: This is what is, I'm trying to translate it verbatim, especially as my copy is quite poor, Mr Chair.

CHAIRPERSON: By writing, we get this... (intervention).

DR BASSON: I handle this memorandum I've seen regarding the Steyn Report with contempt, it's one of the poorest information documents I've ever seen.   If you look at that report, it's very clear that whoever was responsible for compiling that document is unclear about most of the information.   There was a problem regarding my own identity.   Up to 1996, our own National Intelligence, in a bail application I had, still confused my identity with that of another Basson.   Regarding the allegation, I want to say the following:  that so-called attack on Frelimo has been investigated properly, initially by the British Intelligence.   The attack on Frelimo was investigated in detail by an inexperienced doctor sent from Britain.   We warned him that he was busy not to be able to do his work, he hasn't worked in Africa before, he doesn't know Africa.  After his report, where they found it was a chemical attack, the United Nations sent representatives and their report was very clear - such an attack never had happened.   How can I be guilty of something that had never happened?

MR VALLY: The further allegation herein, that you were responsible for all eliminations or orders to eliminate persons on behalf of the Defence Force and you were intimately involved with General Botha and Neethling.  What's your response to that?

DR BASSON: Mr Chairman, two questions again.   I don't know what the relationship between the two are.

CHAIRPERSON: Well I think what he's trying to say is that, in that, I see (indistinct).

DR BASSON: Is he trying to say that Lothar Neethling was also involved, or not?

MR VALLY: Exactly.

CHAIRPERSON: I think that's what he's trying to say.

DR BASSON: I would comment as following:  intimate relationship with General Neethling, I had a good relationship with General Neethling, I held him in high regard, I have no reason to believe, and I have no knowledge that Dr Lothar Neethling was involved in any elimination or any such practices which could do bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, to anybody.    Regarding my own personal involvement, all I can do is to say that I am surprised, if I were responsible for all the elimination, if I listened to all that, I would never sleep in my life.   I deny that categorically.   I was never involved in any elimination, whether the planning, execution or anything regarding any elimination.

MR VALLY: And then the third allegation I want to put to you, relating to the mandrax, the allegation that you offered to supply some individual with 100 000 mandrax pills a month for a year, and this is in the report which is headed
"STAFF PAPER PREPARED FOR THE STEYN COMMISSION ON ALLEGED DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES OF SADF COMPONENTS - DECEMBER 1992 - TOP SECRET."

DR BASSON: Mr Chairman, I'm not a legal person, but I think I've already said that two previous allegations were absurd.

MR VALLY: Are you saying it's not true?

DR BASSON: I repeat, it is absurd.

MR VALLY: My final question to you is this, you're a medical doctor but you're also a brigadier and you're also project manager for Project Coast, why is it that you're the one person who's the link between the manufacturing facilities for biological components of the biological and chemical warfare, the chemical facilities, and you're the same person that runs around Europe buying methaqualone, a whole brigadier, doing all this by himself, why is it that you specifically were fulfilling these many roles, can you explain to us please?

DR BASSON: Mr Chairman, I can't answer such a question, it's an absurd question to state that I was the only link between production facilities on the one hand, running around in Europe on the other hand, I was not the only link, there was a big organisation, I was backed by the South African government, and the same allegations were made by the Americans when they alleged that I provided chemical information to Libya, I can't do something like that all by myself, I had a whole organisation, I had the backing of the government, and I could rely on their support.   To allege that I was the only link, it happened that I was the project leader, yes, but to say that I was the only link and the only person who did everything is not so, I did not have the time, I could not have the time for all these things Mr Vally alleged.   I was the project leader and I was associated with many things, I did many things, not one of them were illegal and not one of them led to the death or bodily harm to any person.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you, Dr Basson.   Dr Randera, you want to put one question.