Fraud and corruption accused Schabir Shaik raised eyebrows in the Durban High Court on Wednesday, first shouting at his lawyer then later telling the judge he was too ill to answer a question.

"Reeves, do what I tell you" he shouted from the witness box before the start of proceedings on Wednesday morning. Before that he was heard saying "guys, respect my wishes".

Shaik was addressing his instructing attorney Reeves Parsee. Around 3pm on Wednesday as his advocate Francois van Zyl, SC, was in the middle of a question Shaik started packing up.

Moments before that he had taken his time in answering a question and when prompted by Van Zyl he said: "I'm trying to catch my breath. I am not feeling to (sic - too) well."

Van Zyl launched into another question while Shaik looked at the courtroom clock, stared at his wristwatch for a few seconds and then gathered up his papers. As van Zyl was still talking Shaik wiped his hand over the top of his head. When Van Zyl finished his question Shaik turned to judge Hillary Squires and said:" M'lord can I answer the question tomorrow I am not feeling too well."

Squires looked at the clock and agreed. Van Zyl then asked Squires if his client could in future perhaps have a mid-afternoon break in the second half of the day's proceedings because he had been tired two days in a row.

At that stage a strained-looking Shaik was wiping his face with a yellow striped towel. However, outside the courtroom he was seen smiling and chatting as usual.

Most of Wednesday's proceedings centred on whether Shaik had bribed Deputy President Jacob Zuma to pressurise other businesses into appointing Shaik and his Nkobi group of companies as a preferred Black Economic Empowerment partner.

This included Professor John Lennon from the Glasgow Caledonian University who wanted to set up a tourism school in KwaZulu-Natal and Malaysian company Renong which was initially involved in the Point Waterfront Development Project in Durban.

In both instances the state produced correspondence which it said proved that Zuma, on behalf of his friend and financial advisor Shaik, had leaned on those businesses to include Shaik.

Later in the day Shaik testified about failed attempts with an oversees associate Grant Scriven to win a government tender to oversee the state garage nationally. He said that "despite all the political contacts we perceive to have" they had not to date been successful.

He told the court it was an insult to think he was a successful business man only because of his association with Zuma.

"It's an insult to say the least. There's no recognition for my business intuition..." said Shaik. He told the court on Wednesday that early in his dealings with French arms company Thomson CSF he heard that President Thabo Mbeki had apparently told Thomson boss Jean-Paul Perrier that Shaik and his Nkobi group were unacceptable as Black Economic Empowerment partners in South Africa.

According to Perrier he had also met former president Nelson Mandela at a function in Paris where he told him about Thomson CSF's dealings with Nkobi.

Shaik said that according to Perrier Mandela "showed some reservations" about Nkobi's BEE credentials. Shaik said he discussed the issue with Zuma who was "distressed, particularly about remarks attributed to Mbeki."

He called on Zuma for help in sorting out these "ill-conceived views of the president". He said Zuma was also a senior member of the ANC who would be able to give the French company a balanced view of BEE. Shaik told the court that foreign companies understood BEE to only apply to Africans and not other race groups in South Africa.

In June 1998 Zuma was on official business in Europe and was able to meet with Perrier as well. Shaik said the meeting was arranged by the French At that meeting Perrier was accompanied by a colleague, De Bolladiere, and expressed his concerns about Nkobi's BEE suitability to Zuma.

According to Shaik, Perrier also met with Mbeki who said there was no problem if there was a legal shareholder agreement in place.

The trial continues.

With acknowledgement to Wendy Jasson da Costa and Sapa.