The Durban High Court is expected to start the sixth week of the trial of Durban businessman Schabir Shaik today with some more technical evidence.

Auditing clerk Anthony Gibb is giving evidence on an alleged irregular "write-off" in the books of the Nkobi group of companies that caused money allegedly paid to Deputy President Jacob Zuma disappearing from the records. Nkobi's accountant at the time, Celia Bester, also said in her evidence that it had made cash bribes paid to other ministers disappear as well.

The "write-off' forms the basis for a charge of fraud against Shaik. He has pleaded not guilty to this charge as well as two charges of corruption.

Later in the week, Professor John Lennon is expected in Durban from Glasgow to give evidence about his efforts to establish an eco-tourism school in KwaZulu Natal and his dealings with Zuma and Shaik.

The State first attempted to lead Lennon's evidence via satellite link because of his busy programme, but their application was dismissed by Judge Hilary Squires, who is presiding at the trial.

Subsequently, however, Lennon seemed to have found time to come to South Africa. According to the indictment, the way in which Shaik and Zuma dealt with Lennon is indicative of the "general corrupt relationship" that existed between the two of them.

There are another three weeks left before the court will go into recess for the Christmas holidays, and it looks increasingly unlikely that proceedings will wrap up this year *1.

With acknowledgements toEstelle Ellis and the Cape Argus.

*1 I don't think that the State Prosecuting Team thought that they could wrap up the entire proceedings this year. I think that they hoped to finalise the State's case before the recess and that the Defence case would run for a couple of week's when the new court term commenced in January next year. *2

*2 This conclusion is not from personal knowledge, but logical examination of the witness list, of which I was last in number and in alphabetical order, as well as hopefully last in importance after the mostly brilliant witnesses so far.