Lothar Neethling - Lothar's Potion

Lothar's Potion

Three years later, in 1989, Neethling's reputation as a "genius chemist" became tarnished after revelations by a former commander of the SAP's Vlakplaas death squad, Dirk Coetzee, were published in the anti-apartheid newspaper Vrye Weekblad. Coetzee revealed that Neethling had developed a poison — Lothar's potion — which Coetzee would collect either from Neethling's home or from his laboratory, and administer to ANC cadres. The Weekly Mail also covered Coetzee's story.

Neethling denied Coetzee's allegations and sued each newspaper R1 million for defamation, but lost the case because the judge, Johann Kriegler, declared him to be an unreliable witness. Neethling remained in his post, and, with funding by the South African government, appealed against the judgment. The legal costs of the appeal, which took nearly five years, amounted to over R2 million. The appeal went in Neethling's favour, and he was awarded R90,000 for defamation. After being ordered to pay Neethling's costs, Vrye Weekblad was forced into bankruptcy and closed in February 1994. The newspaper's editor, Max du Preez, maintained that Neethling had lied in court and, after TRC hearings in September 1997, laid criminal charges of murder, perjury and fraud against him. However, according to Du Preez, his charges against Lothar Neethling were never thoroughly investigated.