"To Shabir Shaik, when your friend Jacob Zuma becomes deputy president, you will be in the pound seats!'

These were the contents of a note dated December 1997, found by Scorpions in a red file in Schabir Shaik's office, labelled Deputy Zuma (sic).

Senior special investigator Johan du Plooy told the Durban High Court on Wednesday that the Scorpions later found out that this note was sent to Shaik from the AM Moola group.

Zuma only became deputy president about two years after the note was written.

Advocate Billy Downer, for the state, told the court that he considered the note to be relevant as it corroborated earlier evidence by Professor Themba Sono.

Sono told the court that Shaik had predicted to him that Zuma was to become deputy president. At that stage Shaik, according to Sono, was thinking of a possible appointment as Zuma's director-general.

The court also heard from Du Plooy that warrants for Thomson's former South African manager, Alain Thetard's, arrest were withdrawn last year after he received instructions from lead prosecutor Downer to do so.

He did not give reasons why this was done. The warrants were initially issued for perjury and corruption.

A scathing letter to Steve Tshwete, personal notes and a series of diary entries were under the parting shots fired by the prosecution in the trial of Shaik on Tuesday.

Leader of the state's team advocate Billy Downer on Tuesday said it gave him "great pleasure" but also made him a little sad to announce that the lead investigator in the Shaik case, Johan du Plooy, would be the state's last witness.

It was through Du Plooy that the state then managed to hand in documents, including a letter written to the former minister of Safety and Security, Steven Tshwete, as evidence.

In the letter to Tshwete Shaik wrote: "Despite many telephone calls to your offices, both by Mr (Grant) Scriven from the UK (United Kingdom) and myself... to this date not a single response has been forthcoming from your office.

I would presume that some basic office courtesy should apply at least. A simple letter of thanks... would have been an acknowledgement. Even a simple 'no thank you' response would be better than no response, surely. Not to respond at all, despite our several attempts, is both rude and inefficient."

The letter was about a joint proposal by Shaik and Grant Scriven from Venson Plc to privatise the police fleet, which was not attended to. The letter mentions that the meeting was arranged "through the offices of the deputy president."

Shaik has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and fraud. The charges against him centre on his relationship with Zuma.

The state alleges that it was a "generally corrupt" relationship. Shaik said it was a significant friendship.

In another development in the trial, the state on Tuesday revealed that one of their key witnesses, David Wilson, is refusing to give evidence in the trial against Shaik.

Wilson is a British citizen living in Malaysia and had been a key figure in negotiations between Shaik, deputy president Jacob Zuma and the Renong group of Malaysia.

The negotiations were about a proposed R100-million development in Durban.

With acknowledgements to Estelle Ellis and the Daily News.