A military surgeon dubbed "Doctor Death" for his apartheidera germ and chemical warfare campaign against blacks went on trial in Pretoria yesterday on 64 charges ranging from 200 murders to drug dealing.
Dr Wouter Basson (49), a cardiologist who still operates at an army hospital, smiled as he arrived in the Pretoria High Court for what is expected to be a twoyear trial. Judge Willem Hartzenberg granted a postponement until tomorrow. Dr Basson is free on bail.
A 250-page indictment accuses him of complicity in secret apartheid-government plans to murder black leaders now in President Thabo Mbeki's government.
He is accused of preparing poisoned medicines and beer used to kill opponents of the white minority government, which was voted out of power in South Africa's first all-race election in 1994. His victims died in Mozambique, Swaziland, Namibia and South Africa.
In one chilling charge, the state alleges that Dr Basson spiked drinks to put four members of the South West Africa People's Orga nisation fighting Pretoria's occupation of Namibia to sleep in 1985.
The four were loaded sleeping into an aircraft and injected with a deadly substance also supplied by Dr Basson. Their bodies were thrown into the sea.