Editing Project Coast (section)

{{Short description|South African chemical weapons program}}
{{use South African English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
'''Project Coast''' was a top-secret [[chemical warfare|chemical]] and [[biological warfare|biological weapons]] (CBW) programme instituted by the [[apartheid]]-era government of South Africa in the 1980s. Project Coast was the successor to a limited postwar CBW programme, which mainly produced the lethal agents [[CX powder]] and [[mustard gas]], as well as non-lethal [[tear gas]] for riot control purposes.<ref>Gould, Chandré (2006) ''South Africa's Chemical and Biological Warfare programme 1981–1995,'' PhD thesis. Rhodes University.</ref> The programme was headed by the cardiologist [[Wouter Basson]], who was also the personal physician of South African Prime Minister [[P. W. Botha]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marbot |first1=Olivier |title=South Africa: 'Dr Death' discovered to still be practising medicine |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/63661/south-africa-dr-death-discovered-to-still-be-practising-medicine/ |website=The Africa Report |access-date=27 January 2023 |date=February 5, 2021 |quote=The young personal physician to President Botha, Basson, a lieutenant colonel who joined the army in 1979, was a competent, extremely motivated volunteer.}}</ref>