The mere mention of Schabir Shaik and his Nkobi group of companies conjures up thoughts of unimaginable wealth and luxury.

Flashy saloons, designer clothes and penthouse suites have become synonymous with the businessman from Durban accused of fraud, who founded his now world-famous Nkobi group out of a coffee shop in 1995.

But while Shaik and Nkobi Holdings raked in millions from various government contracts, including the arms deal, the family of the late ANC stalwart, Thomas Titus Nkobi, has tried in vain, even through litigation, to get Shaik to change his company's name.

Now the family of Nkobi, the ANC treasurer-general who was the inspiration behind the name of Shaik's company, is angered that his name is being dragged through the mud as a result of Shaik's corruption trial in the Durban High Court.

But Shaik denies that he has tarnished the legacy of Nkobi's name.

His spin doctor, Dominic Ntsele, defended Shaik's use of the name, saying Shaik had decided on the name because of a deep and profound respect he had for Nkobi.

"The two of them became really close after working and travelling together on ANC business after meeting in the late 1980s. They had a direct relationship and the late tata Nkobi had a profound effect on Schabir's life. He was indeed Schabir's mentor," Ntsele said.

But even before the arms deal scandal broke, the Nkobi family had tried to stop Shaik from using the family name, which they say he never obtained their consent for.

In 2001 the Nkobis even hired Johannesburg lawyer Ian Jordaan to pursue Shaik's alleged abuse of the family name, but letters threatening litigation were to no avail and Jordaan approached President Thabo Mbeki to get clarification.

But that too brought them little success.

Nkobi's wife, Winnifred, finally instructed Jordaan to close the case about two years ago as it had taken its toll on her health, she complained.

At the time Jordaan had been instructed that Shaik had obtained the consent of neither the family nor Nkobi to use his name.

According to media reports at the time, the family were even more surprised to learn that Shaik had lied to a national weekly newspaper that they were shareholders of Nkobi Holdings.

Several calls to Winnifred's cellphone and home went unanswered this week. She had apparently instructed Jordaan to comment on her behalf but by Friday he too said he could not get in touch with her. He had last spoken to her or other family members was "over two years ago".

Strange remarks and weird looks are part of life even for Nkobi's extended family nowadays.

One of Nkobi's nephews, a Johannesburg salesman who did not want to be named, said: "When I tell people my name, especially my customers, they immediately tell me things like 'you must be in the money'. But little do they know that I'm actually as poor as a bat."

He said the publicity generated from Shaik's trial had especially aroused people's curiosity about him.

With acknowledgements to Santosh Beharie and the Sunday Argus.