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We present spectroscopic observations, taken with the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph telescope/instrument, of the unusual Small Magellanic Cloud X-ray binary system SXP 323 = AX J0051−733. This system shows a clear modulation at 0.71 d in long-term optical photometry, which has been proposed as the binary period of this system. The high-resolution optical spectra, taken at a range of phases during the 0.71-d cycle, rule out this possibility. Instead it is suggested that this long-term effect is due to non-radial pulsations in the Be star companion to SXP 323. In addition, the spectra show clear evidence for major changes in the ( V/ R) ratio of the double peaks of the Balmer lines indicative of asymmetries in the circumstellar disc. The complex structure of the interstellar lines is also discussed in the context of the SMC structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]