Durban businessman Schabir Shaik said he would resign as director and chief executive officer of his Nkobi group of companies immediately after he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for fraud and corruption in the Durban High Court on Wednesday.
”Today is the juncture from which I part from my business,” Shaik told journalists and onlookers on the steps of the court.
He said the contractual obligations of his companies will be taken over by the staff and management of Nkobi and at the next board meeting his directors and shareholders will decide who will take over the running of the business.
Ten of Shaik’ companies were co-accused in his trial which related to his dealings with Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
Shaik was found guilty on all the main charges and was given 15 years each for the two corruption charges and three for the fraud charge.
All of them will run concurrently but Shaik’s legal team will apply for leave to appeal his sentence on July 26. His bail of R100 000 was extended until then.
On the first charge of corruption, which dealt with Shaik’s ”generally corrupt” relationship with Zuma, the judge sentenced Nkobi Holdings to a fine of R125 000.
Nkobi Investments was fined R1-million, while Kobifin, Kobitech and Kobitech Transport Systems were fined R125 000 each.
He said it was ”not sensible” to impose a fine on Proconsult, Pro Con Africa, Clegton, Floryn Investments and Chartley Investments because some of them were dormant or without assets.
However, they were given fines of R25 000 each, suspended for five years.
On the fraud count Squires sentenced Kobifin to a fine of R1,4-million.
Pro Con Africa, Clegton and Floryn Investments were given fines of R33 000 which were suspended for five years.
On count three of corruption Kobifin and Kobitech were fined R500 000 each.
Squires said all the fines were to paid by the end of June 2006.
After his sentencing Shaik said he was Zuma’s friend: ”I believe in ubuntu and helping others … those whose cultures who cannot recognise this must comes to terms with their maker.”
Cosatu ‘200%’ behind Zuma
The secretariat of the tripartite alliance held a regular meeting on Wednesday, but made no public statements about embattled Zuma and Shaik.
”We have noted intense media speculation and expectation that the meeting would generate new developments with respect to the outcome of the Schabir Shaik case. In this regard, however, there are no new developments,” the alliance said.
The meeting in Johannesburg was attended by the African National Congress, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the South African Communist Party, and the South African National Civic Organisation.
The agenda focused on preparations for the ANC’s national general council, the alliance’s programme of action, including Cosatu’s jobs and poverty campaign, and the proposed land summit. Cosatu spokesperson Paul Notyhawa said earlier in the day the meeting would most likely decide on a ”common collective approach” to the Zuma issue.
There have been numerous calls from opposition parties and others for Zuma to quit or be fired.
Both the SACP and Cosatu have said the principle of being presumed innocent until proven guilty should be upheld.
They have also backed the deputy president, saying Shaik’s trial was nothing but a political one of Zuma in absentia.
Although the KwaZulu-Natal office of the ANC, along with its alliance partners, came out in support of Zuma on Monday, the national office of the party has said it would need to complete studying the judgement first, before making any comments.
Earlier in the day Vavi addressed Gauteng shop stewards in the city about Zuma and pending strike action later this month.
Notyhawa said Vavi told the crowd that Cosatu was ”200%” behind the deputy president as he had not been found guilty of any wrongdoing by a court.
He told them no one should be publicly charged by newspapers and opposition parties; and there was always another side to the story.
Vavi also briefed the shop stewards on rolling mass action which would start on June 18. Unions were currently providing Cosatu with lists of employers they thought were exploiting workers and should be targeted.
On June 18 union members will strike outside the offices of these employers, and June 27 there will be a mass stayaway.
Asked if the shop stewards agreed with the mass action, Notyhawa said: ”They are ready, they wanted to start tomorrow. On a daily basis it is becoming worse for workers.” – Sapa