When Schabir Shaik heard that his accountant was leaving Nkobi Holdings he stopped her final salary, the Durban High Court heard on Wednesday.

Former Nkobi accountant Ceila Bester, who was being cross-examined in the fraud and corruption trial against Shaik, told the court she had resigned because she was unhappy with the way in which Nkobi did its books, and in particular the write-off of various accounts.

Bester said eventually she had a very angry meeting with Shaik.

"I was highly explosive," said Bester.

She told Shaik she was leaving because she was not happy with the company journal entries *1. Her salary was eventually paid after that show-down, she said.

In her evidence Bester said she did not believe that Nkobi was a true empowerment company but admitted she was referring to what was happening at the group's head office.

During cross examination the court heard how Nkobi's financial director Colin Isaacs, who Bester described as Shaik "right hand man", had so much to do he never finished any of his tasks.

She said Shaik was angry that the annual financial statement for 1999 was not finalised.

He got an outside accountant, Satish Ramsumar, who was already on retainer with the group for other jobs to oversee the finalisation of Nkobi's financials.

Bester said this was to take the work load of Isaacs, but added that Shaik had the habit of throwing everyone "into 500 things *2" at one time.

The trial continues.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.

*1 Plainly, not Accounting According to GAAP.

*2 Like rushing off at short notice to meet a larger than life gentleman at the military section of Durban International Airport, fresh off a private jet, in order to handover 500 petty rands plus 200 shaky rands.

This little bit of goodwill consumed the precious time of both the Righthand Man (Isaacs) and the Righthand Women (Singh) at Nkobi Holdings for a good number of hours. Plus they had to borrow a colleague's (Goodwin's) private car to deliver the goodwill boodle.

It's one way of running an empowerment company - Viva.