Durban : Fraud and corruption accused Schabir Shaik used his political connections with Deputy President Jacob Zuma to quash attempts by a UK professor to establish an ecotourism school in KwaZulu-Natal, the Durban High Court heard yesterday.

Glasgow Caledonian University travel and tourism professor John Lennon told the court how he struggled for five months to get Zuma, then KwaZulu-Natal economic affairs and tourism MEC, to write a letter signalling government support for a travel and tourism facility in the province.

Lennon needed proof of SA's support for his British backers before conducting prefeasibility studies for the venture, he said.

Zuma allegedly wrote back to Lennon saying he supported the ecotourism school, but demanded he form a joint venture "to bring this initiative to fruition and to assist in understanding the local demands".

"I have had discussions with one such company, namely (Shaik's) Nkobi Holdings. They are keen to participate in this venture as it fits well with their own leisure plans," Zuma said in his letter. The date strip identified Zuma's letter as having been faxed from Nkobi's offices.

Lennon told the court he had written back, telling Nkobi he already had a partner in Johannesburg and that Shaik should deal with him. He said Shaik then allegedly ordered his business development manager, Martyn Surman, to respond to Lennon's letter.

He threatened to get Zuma to withdraw his support, Lennon said.

In his response Surman wrote: "I have to advise you that (Shaik) finds your response insulting to say the least, and that he considers that it lacks the business ethics which it deserves. Having once obtained the support letters for you he now finds himself marginalised to deal with your so-called agents in SA.

"Shaik has asked me to advise you that he is prepared to give you three days in order to come back to him, sketching out the issues referred to above, failing which he will go back to Minister Zuma."

Surman's fax also demanded that Lennon provide a detailed proposal on the objectives of "the proposed study; proposed work-share allocations between Nkobi and the Moffat Chair in Travel and Tourism" that would facilitate the plan.

Lennon said he had found the response "unusual, unfortunate and tragically unforgivable", and had withdrawn his proposal .

He repeatedly told the court the delay to obtain Zuma's signature had been "strange" and "peculiar".

Defence counsel Francois van Zyl said Shaik would testify he was under "the impression" Nkobi would be the preferred partner in KwaZulu-Natal, and that Zuma's letter was faxed from the Nkobi offices "as a favour".

With acknowledgements to Nicola Jenvey and the Business Day.