Shaik to get new 'spin doctor'?
2005-02-15 00:15
Durban - Schabir Shaik's brothers, Mo and Yunus, have asked former journalist Ranjeni Munusamy to sit in on his fraud-and-corruption trial with the possibility of becoming his media advisor.
She said on Monday as she left Durban High Court: "I have observer status with the defence team."
Munusamy was the main author of the first media report in which allegations surfaced that the former director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka was probably an apartheid double-agent.
The allegation led to the Hefer Commission being appointed, which found no evidence that Ngcuka had been a spy.
Munusamy now heads up a Johannesburg-based communications company, Ranjeni M.
She said the Shaik case was at a critical stage at the moment and his camp had had to contend with a lot of negative media coverage.
"I don't have a specific brief... there's no agreement," said Munusamy.
Assessing the situation
She said she would be sitting in on the trial for the next few days and assess the situation, but ultimately it would be up to Shaik and his brothers if they wanted to hire her services.
She said Shaik's other "spin doctor," Dominic Ntsele, had been in court "on a holding brief with his client".
Meanwhile, Shaik has to wait for two days to hear whether several documents handed up as evidence by the State and deemed inadmissible by his defence team will be accepted by Judge Hilary Squires.
These documents include the infamous encrypted fax, two affidavits by a British Malaysian-based businessman David Wilson and documents obtained during search-and-seizure operations in France and Mauritius.
If the encrypted fax is accepted by the court, Shaik could be forced to testify.
However, if the court rules the fax inadmissible it will cripple the State's case of count 3 of corruption against Shaik.
'Attempting to help a bigger process'
The encrypted fax records an alleged bribe of R500 000 a year for deputy president Jacob Zuma from French arms company Thomson CSF.
On Monday, Shaik said Munusamy was not employed by him or his companies and he had not approached her.
He said people like her and Ntsele were not only assisting him, but "attempting to help a bigger process".
Squires has provisionally set aside Thursday and if not, Friday, for judgment on the admissibility of documents.
The trial will continue on Thursday.
- SAPA