Fraud convict Schabir Shaik is alleged to have spent in excess of R800 000 on Jacob Zuma’s children — footing an education bill of close to R500 000.
Not only is he alleged to have paid the education fees of the African National Congress (ANC) president’s children, but he and his companies allegedly forked out more than R200 000.
Attached to the indictment against the ANC president, filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, was a spreadsheet that detailed a list of 783 payments allegedly made by Shaik and his companies from October 25 1995 to July 1 2005, totalling R4 072 499,85.
The detailed spreadsheet had amounts as low as R25 — allegedly for a ”mini-car valet” — to the R400 000 allegedly paid for the ”development of his traditional residential village estate in Nkandla”.
The indictment was filed on Friday, shortly after midday, as Zuma was about to hand out presents to children in his home district of Nkandla.
Zuma faces 16 charges in total — one count of racketeering, two counts of corruption, one count of money laundering and 12 counts of fraud.
The two South African subsidiaries of Thales International (formerly Thomson-CFS) — Thint Holding (Southern Africa) and Thint — each face a charge of racketeering and two counts of corruption.
The 16-page spread sheet, prepared by auditing firm KPMG, details several alleged payments made to Holy Family College, Sacred Heart School, University of Zululand, Empangeni High School, St Catherine’s, Cape Technikon, Durban Girls School, Pretoria Boys High School and the International School of Cape Town.
The list classifies the alleged payments as ”Zuma Children Education” and during the period in question is alleged to have totalled R492 779,45. Apart from two schools, the spread sheet does not specify which of Zuma’s children’s education was being paid for by Shaik.
However, in another category, listed as ”Zuma children allowance”, the children’s initials, together with the Zuma name, are clearly stated against each payment made to them.
At least eight of Zuma’s children allegedly received their allowances directly from Shaik or one of his companies — primarily from Kobitech.
However, according to the spreadsheet, some of Zuma’s children received occasional cash payments, including one of R15 000 on October 31 for one Zuma’s daughter’s wedding.
The spread sheet further shows that a Hyundai Sonata was purchased on April 12 1999 with finance from Bankfin (now part of Absa). It was classified as ”Zuma children vehicle” and instalments were paid on or about the seventh of every month until February 7 2003 costing Shaik’s company, Kobitech, R92 280.
It is also alleged that R60 000 was paid for a Mazda Etude under the classification ”Zuma children vehicle”.
Payments for various other items are listed on the spreadsheet, including R70 500 paid for clothes that Zuma allegedly bought from a shop called Casanova.
The ANC also benefited from Shaik, according to the spreadsheet. Kobitech is alleged, on October 1 2002, to have even paid R21 000 to the ANC for Zuma’s outstanding levies.
Shaik and his companies are also alleged to have footed the bill for Zuma’s household, as well as travel expenses. Regular payments are alleged to have been made to a Durban taxi company on Zuma’s behalf.
On December 13 2002 there was an alleged payment of R44 100 for ”Tickets and allowance for Cuba”. This was listed under the classification ”Zuma family travel costs”.
Many of the alleged payments relate to Zuma’s debt incurred in the development of ”his traditional residential village estate at Nkandla in rural northern KwaZulu-Natal”.
While the first payment is shown as having taken place on October 25 1995, Shaik and his companies are alleged to have still been making payments up to July 1 2005.
Shaik and his companies were convicted by Judge Hilary Squires on June 2 2005 and Shaik was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on June 8, yet on June 23 2005, a payment of R400 000 was made by Shaik’s Kobitech company to Development Africa — the trust established to finance the Nkandla Village estate. — Sapa