When he wakes up today, Durban businessman Schabir Shaik will face three minimum sentences of 15 years each.

That is :

• 15 years for bribing Deputy President Jacob Zuma;
• 15 years for the illegal write-off of money in his companies' books, partially to hide payments to Zuma; and
• 15 years for brokering a bribe agreement between Zuma and French arms company Thomson.

Yesterday, as the convictions were read out, Shaik sat alone with his shock and grief, mentally isolating himself, physically shrinking away from those who wanted to touch him.

His brothers looked shocked.

Some of his family cried.

But if anything, the verdict was expected.

Already on Wednesday, as Judge Hilary Squires started to make his thoughts on the matter clear, Shaik turned to his brothers and whispered out of the corner of his mouth: "I'm f***ed."

Still it clearly came as a shock to hear the words "guilty" three times from the judge's mouth.

But at least he was spared the humiliation of walking down the seven steps to the holding cells. He waited in court while attorney Reeves Parsee went to pay the R100 000 bail with a trust cheque.

Shaik also has to hand over his passport to chief investigator Johan du Plooy.

During efforts to pay Shaik's bail, which apparently required the presence of a whole lot of people, someone sneaked into the stenographer's office and stole a cellphone. He got away.

The man convicted of bribing the deputy president did not.

The guilty verdict, it seems, is just the start of Shaik's troubles. Lead prosecutor Billy Downer SC has indicated that the prosecution has permission to institute an inquiry, to be presided over by Judge Squires, to decide on the confiscation of Shaik's assets as "proceeds of crime".

It is believed that Shaik's net worth is around R50-million - which leaves a lot to be confiscated.

Shaik, who had brought his spiritual advisers to court for the past week, has asked for forgiveness for offending people during the trial.

His new conciliatory attitude seems to have set in on Tuesday when he approached Downer and gave him a hug.

Outside court he said: "I walk in the light of my Lord. I am innocent. I will hold that view till the day that I meet Him... don't lose faith in our Lord, because I don't."

After being released on bail Shaik went across the road to a restaurant where he had fish and a chat with his family.

"There are strange aspects of this case that we do not understand, sweetheart... it troubles me," Shaik told The Star.

"Will you come visit me in prison?"

He seemed to be dealing much better, physically, with adversity than with the uncertainty.

His eyes were clear, his palms dry and he seemed to be at peace with himself, even if his personal struggle was far from over.

With acknowledgements to Estelle Ellis and The Star.