Life Could Be Hard In Prison [Pretoria News, 2006-11-08]

Publication: Pretoria News Issued: Date: 2006-11-08 Reporter: Matthew Savides

Life Could Be Hard In Prison

Publication	Pretoria News
Date	2006-11-08
Reporter	Matthew Savides
Web Link	www.pretorianews.co.za

What awaits convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik at Westville Prison in Durban if, as is expected, he serves his 15-year sentence there?

Although authorities at the prison were not forthcoming, the recent findings of the Jali Commission of Inquiry into the management of the country's prisons paint a particularly frightening picture of the state of the prison.

"Corruption appears to be endemic in the Durban-Westville Management Area and there is a total breakdown of law and order ... Security is so compromised that judges are often reluctant to conduct prison inspections for fear of their lives," the commission reported.

In a previous interview, former Westville inmate Neil Crosthwaite warned that Shaik should prepare himself for the worst.

"You share a cell with up to 70 people, you sleep next to murderers and eat exactly the same as the next man," he said. "You are locked up for 18 hours a day. You are in the hands of the gangsters, and security comes at a cost."

With acknowledgements to Matthew Savides and Pretoria News.

Time in prison should not be hard - it should just be long. 15 years is 15 years; possibly one third for goooood behaviour, another third for spilling the beans. That's 5 years in the slammer. The man can get out at the respectable ago of 55 to still enjoy the fruits of a beautiful relationship with Mac Maharaj that generates a few tens of millions Rands of profit per year, derived from South Africa citizens' tax, for his Prodiba (Pty) Ltd (also a joint venture with Thales International).

What is shockingly inappropriate, however, is the sanction the corporate entities called Thint Holding (Southern Africa) (Pty) Ltd and Thint (Pty) Ltd can look forward to when they are found guilty on the same counts of corruption.

Will they be sentenced to 15 years of disbarment from them or any of their subsidiaries receiving any government contracts?

It is hardly likely when :

they support of the most significant sector of the SA Navy's combat capability, i.e. the combat suites of the Valour-class frigates is vested in a subsidiary of Thint called African Defence Systems (Pty) Ltd, as well as its French sister companies called Thales Navale and Thales Detexis.

when they supply and support of a critical element of the SA Army's combat defence capability, i.e. the Ground Based Air Defence System (GBADS) is vested in a subsidiary of Thint called African Defence Systems (Pty) Ltd, as well as its British sister company called Thales Air Defence (previously Shorts Brothers of Ulster Northern Ireland).

when they supply and support of a critical element of the SA Dept of Transport's driver's licencing and enforcing capability, i.e. the New Credit Card Driver's Licence, is vested in a subsidiary of Thint called IDmatics (Pty) Ltd.

But one interesting aspect is going to be the asset forfeiture of Thint's 60% equity in ADS, following the asset forfeiture of Nkobi Holding's 20% equity in ADS. This will leave just 20% of ADS shareholding in the hands of Futuristic Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd (or is this FBS Holding (Pty) Ltd?) owned by Joe Modise's old bumiputerians Lt Gen (Retd) Lambert Moloi and Ing Tshepo Molai and Chippy Shaik's old bumiputerians Yusuf Mohammed (aka Comrade Joe) and Ian Pierce (The Accountant).

FBS, a two-bit flea bite of a company, was included by ADS as an equal partner in the Corvette Consortium of South Africa (CCSA) to supply the combat suites of the Valour-class frigates to the SA Navy. Now it has collapsed as an operating company and the shareholders just sit at home drawing their dividends arising from from ADS's lucrative deals with the SANDF. BEE at its best.

Another interesting reality is that FBS was investigated for its role in the arms deal, but its books of account for the relevant period (circa 1998), when all the deals and wheels were allocated, disappeared.

Between the NPA and SAPS, they also cocked up that prosecution against Ian Pierce.