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THE MERCURY<\/p>\n
Schabir Shaik at his home in Morningside, Durban. Picture: Sandile Makhoba<\/p>\n
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Related Stories<\/p>\n
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Durban – Four years after convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik was released on medical parole, questions remain about his health \u2013 but he insists that hypertension medication is keeping him alive. <\/p>\n
In an exclusive interview with The Mercury at his plush home in Innes Road, Morningside, this week, Shaik, 56, said: \u201cI am still on six hypertension drugs. I take six pills in the morning and six in the evening. These are all prescription medicines. I will be on drugs for as long as I am alive. <\/p>\n
\u201cI also go for a medical check-up every month,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Amid great controversy, President Jacob Zuma\u2019s former financial adviser was released on parole on medical grounds in March 2009. He arrived home in an ambulance and was wheeled into his room on a stretcher after he being diagnosed with uncontrolled hypertension, a condition he describes as a silent killer. <\/p>\n
Asked if he was terminally ill, Shaik responded that he suffered from \u201csevere uncontrollable hypertension\u201d, a genetic affliction of the vascular system, from which both his parents suffered. <\/p>\n
He had changed his eating habits and was now on a strict low-carbohydrate diet. His eyesight had improved as a result. <\/p>\n
Shaik said his condition could be managed through medication and by living a healthy lifestyle. <\/p>\n
He told The Mercury that when he was in prison, the Correctional Services Department and the Health Department did not have the expertise to manage his condition. So he became a \u201cping pong ball\u201d between the two state facilities until he was paroled. Shaik was sentenced to 15 years in jail for fraud and corruption involving ANC president Zuma, but only served two years and four months of his sentence. His release sparked questions as to whether he really was in the final stages of a terminal illness \u2013 the basis on which medical parole is usually granted. <\/p>\n
DA MP James Selfe said the normal grounds for medical parole required that a person be released to die a \u201cdignified and consolatory death\u201d, as the Correctional Services Act put it. Selfe said Shaik may very well be on medication for hypertension, but he was not released legally. <\/p>\n
\u201cHypertension can be treated inside the prison hospital. It was clear he (Shaik) was released unlawfully for political reasons. The whole thing was a travesty, followed by a cover-up. He shouldn\u2019t have been released on medical grounds,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
But, Selfe added, Shaik\u2019s matter could not be challenged now because he was released on medical parole just weeks before a change in the law kicked in that would have given the inspecting judge of prisons the power to refer the decision for review. <\/p>\n
Shaik, who was once a prominent businessman and Durban high-flyer, now spends most of his time confined to his home. <\/p>\n
He said that it was ironic that he was now a \u201cprisoner\u201d in his home and unable to enjoy the freedom he fought for. <\/p>\n
Speaking in a hoarse voice, Shaik said: \u201cSome days are good. Some days are bad. I don\u2019t even know how long I am going to live. I am not too bad. What can you say? Life is like that. All our lives are up and down.\u201d <\/p>\n
There were \u201cmany other things\u201d to worry about than him. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou must worry about J Arthur Brown,\u201d he suggested, referring to the former Fidentia boss who was given a suspended prison sentence in May and fined R150 000 after being convicted on two counts of fraud. Brown had originally been charged with 192 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat guy (Brown allegedly) stole hundreds of millions and gets a suspended sentence. There is no justice in this country,\u201d Shaik said. <\/p>\n
He was also emotional when he spoke about how he had lost his businesses, and about his fraud conviction, which prevented him from being a director of a company or opening a business school. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Asset Forfeiture (Unit) took R4 billion from me in cash and assets. I didn\u2019t side with (former president Thabo) Mbeki. I sided with Jacob Zuma. <\/p>\n
\u201cBaba Zuma is right for this country. He sacrificed for this province and brought peace and stability.\u201d <\/p>\n
Shaik says he has to keep a close eye on his watch before leaving home, to comply with his parole conditions. <\/p>\n
His parole conditions in 2011 were six hours of free time, from 12pm to 6pm, on Saturdays and Sundays. He also had two hours\u2019 free time every day during the week at any time of his choice. <\/p>\n
Shaik said he now enjoyed more free time \u2013 but did not specify how much. <\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of philosophical reading, I do a bit of yoga, I exercise and swim a little every day,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
But Shaik said that his new lifestyle was \u201cboring and mind-killing\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor a person who was involved in business at corporate level, to suddenly stop\u2026 But if that\u2019s God\u2019s plan, then I must accept that,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Shaik said he also devoted most of his time to his seven-year-old son, Yasir. He said the trial and his time in prison had taken a toll on him, but his family had been the biggest casualty. He and his wife, Zuleika, had become estranged, but had since reconciled and were living together. <\/p>\n
Shaik maintains that his friendship with Zuma has not changed. <\/p>\n
He said the State offered him a plea bargain before he went on trial, but he chose to protect his \u201ccomrades\u201d. <\/p>\n
Asked if Zuma had repaid him the R2 million \u201cloan\u201d, Shaik said that the issue was \u201cpersonal\u201d. He spoke highly of Zuma, saying he had been Shaik\u2019s commander in exile, and that \u201cwe must protect our president\u201d. <\/p>\n
It has been more than four years since Shaik applied for a presidential pardon, but he is no closer to finding out if he will get his freedom. <\/p>\n
But Shaik said there were people who had been promised presidential pardons during Thabo Mbeki\u2019s time and who had been waiting longer than he had. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe (Zuma) hasn\u2019t left me in the lurch, he has to apply his mind to 120 other applications,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
On Friday, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development spokesman advocate Mthunzi Mhaga said Shaik\u2019s application for pardon was in \u201cprocess\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis process is confidential and therefore details of Mr Shaik\u2019s application and any other request for pardon cannot be discussed in public,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Shaik said he had no regrets and remained adamant that he and Zuma had not had a corrupt relationship. He believed his arrest and trial had been part of a political conspiracy to discredit Zuma. <\/p>\n
Selfe said he did not believe anyone should get a presidential pardon as this amounted to subversion of the administration of justice. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am opposed to presidential pardons for anybody. Once the court process has run its course the court judgment and sentence must stand,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The Mercury<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE MERCURY Schabir Shaik at his home in Morningside, Durban. Picture: Sandile Makhoba Related Stories \u2018Zuma still owes me R2m\u2019 Shaik denies threats Shaik in dark over amnesty SA\u2019s \u2018privileged\u2019 prisoners Shaik granted more freedom Durban – Four years after convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik was released on medical parole, questions remain about his health \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[8275,953,2143],"class_list":{"0":"post-22048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-south-africa","7":"tag-durban","8":"tag-newspaper","9":"tag-the-mercury","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22048\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}