Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Top brass in the military met on Tuesday to discuss reports that apartheid-era chemical weapons expert Wouter Basson was getting a monthly salary despite being suspended since 1999.

"Management and the legal department are in a meeting. They are discussing the Wouter Basson issue," SA National Defence Force spokesman Major Vivian Petrus said at noon.

"There will be more information on this issue by this afternoon (Tuesday)."

The meeting came a day after a media report that Basson was receiving a monthly salary of about R50,000 without doing any work as a heart surgeon.

He is the former head of the defence force's chemical and biological war programme.

While Basson's court case, in which he faced about 67 charges of apartheid-era crimes, was finalised more than 22 months ago, the SANDF reportedly had not taken any decision about his suspension or his career.

His salary amounted to about R1.1 million over the 22-month period.

If this salary was calculated over the full term of his suspension since 1999, it amounted to R4.35 million.

He was still officially in the position of chief surgeon at 1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwane without military patients benefiting from it.

Doctors and specialists in the SA Military Health Service said it was unacceptable that "nobody" was actually the chief cardiologist while Basson was being paid.

The situation also prevented somebody else from being appointed in the position.

Basson has also been working as cardiologist at three hospitals in Cape Town for some time.

He was previously a brigadier-general and founder member of 7 Medical Battalion.

In 1999, before his trial, the defence force suspended him because of the embarrassment the charges had created.

The allegations varied from theft to the murder of several Swapo and Renamo soldiers.

His suspension was ordered by General Siphiwe Nyanda, former chief of the defence force, pending the court ruling.

Basson at that stage obtained permission to run a private practice.

He was acquitted by the Pretoria High Court last year.

The National Prosecuting Authority said in October last year he would not be tried for his alleged role in crimes outside South Africa.

Petrus said the SANDF would comment on the matter after Tuesday afternoon's meeting.