AfriForum event featuring Wouter Basson sells out ahead of Project Coast talk.
Image: File/ Thobile Mathonsi
Tickets for an AfriForum theatre event featuring controversial former apartheid-era military doctor Dr Wouter Basson have sold out ahead of Friday's event, where he is expected to share his personal account of Project Coast.
Basson, who has long been associated with Project Coast, led the covert programme while serving in the South African Defence Force (SADF) from 1980 to 1995.
Although Project Coast was officially described as a defensive research initiative, later investigations concluded that the programme extended beyond that mandate. Evidence presented over the years suggested it explored offensive chemical and biological weapons, including toxic substances, poisons and covert assassination methods.
His leadership of the programme earned him widespread notoriety, with critics dubbing him "Dr Death".
Basson, now a cardiologist practising in Cape Town, faced 67 criminal charges, but he was acquitted on all charges in 2005. However, he is still fighting complaints filed with the Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) relating to alleged unprofessional conduct.
The complaints relate to his involvement as head of Project Coast.
In December 2013, Basson was found guilty of unprofessional conduct following a disciplinary hearing that investigated complaints related to his actions when he led the apartheid government’s chemical and biological warfare initiative.
His sentencing proceedings began in January 2015, but were halted due to a number of factors, including legal proceedings for the recusal of committee members. The proceedings against him have not been concluded to date.
The legal battle surrounding Basson continued this year when the Pretoria High Court dismissed his application to bring the disciplinary proceedings to a permanent end.
The court ruled that, despite the lengthy delays, Basson had failed to show that he had suffered sufficient prejudice to justify terminating the inquiry. Consequently, the HPCSA disciplinary process remains active.
He subsequently applied for leave to appeal, which was also turned down.
The court found that the four charges he is facing are so serious that he has to face the music and that no appeal in this regard would succeed.
In the early 2000s, Basson faced 67 criminal charges, but he was acquitted on all charges in 2005.
More than three decades after the end of apartheid, Basson remains one of South Africa's most contentious public figures.
Human rights organisations and groups representing victims of apartheid have consistently argued that his role in Project Coast places him at the centre of one of the apartheid state's most secretive and ethically condemned programmes.
Meanwhile, his sold-out event will be held on Friday evening at a 380-seat theatre in Greenlyn Village Centre in Menlo Park, Pretoria. Tickets were priced at R180.
IOL News
Get your news on the go. Download the latest IOL App for Android and IOS now.
Related Topics:
