It has become something of a game to catch President Jacob Zuma’s ex-BFF (best financial friend) and fraud convict Schabir Shaik out and about, in violation of the controversial medical parole he was granted in March 2009.
Shaik earned the ire of the nation when he was released after serving just 28 months of his 15-year sentence — most of that in hospital. He was released on what critics have slammed as a trumped-up medical condition, handed out as a political favour.
Despite the special treatment, Zuma has increasingly distanced himself from Shaik. After taking the fall, Shaik seems to have become progressively more frustrated at the fading prospect of a presidential pardon and of being cut off and hung out to dry by Zuma and others.
Cue an aggressive Shaik, landing himself in the headlines afresh lately with a violent bust-up with a journalist at a Durban golf course in early March, and another row at his mosque two weeks later.
According to the Daily News, Shaik is allowed six free hours to get out of the house on Saturdays and Sundays, from 12pm to 6pm, and two hours during the week . The rest of the time he is supposed to remain at home — unless he is given express permission to attend functions or otherwise deviate from his parole conditions.
Still, the man certainly does get around. Use our handy “Shaik Spotter” to follow his trail around his hometown of Durban. Click on the icons on the map to read about his most memorable appearances, and use the buttons on the left to zoom. Happy spotting.
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