A wall of silence has been erected by the police around the mysterious case of the man who is alleged to have said he was promised R1 million to kill Jacob Zuma in 2004.

Director Sally de Beer, spokeswoman for police commissioner Jackie Selebi, repeated that the police had "no comment".

She would not say, nor will anyone else, whether the man, known only as "Coetzee", was recently questioned by the police for a few days.

It has been claimed by a highly placed source, however, that "Coetzee" was recently held by the police and that certain people identified him.

And those people previously involved in the matter, and all connected with Zuma, this week refused say anything - apparently because the case is being investigated by a police crime intelligence unit, especially dispatched to KwaZulu-Natal.

They are also apparently concerned that the story of "Coetzee", contained in an affidavit given to the police by Durban businessman Elias Khumalo, who is said to be "close" to Zuma, could be made to seem like a concoction by the Zuma camp.

Weekend Argus has established that Pastor April Mbambo, who gave defence evidence during Zuma's rape trial last year, was contacted by "Coetzee".

Mbambo took "Coetzee" to Barnabas Xulu, a Durban attorney and chairman of the KZN Zuma Trust, who in turn took "Coetzee" to see Khumalo.

Khumalo wrote an affidavit, during which "Coetzee" was said to have been present. He also confirmed he had made a statement to a Captain Madondo of the crime intelligence unit.

Weekend Argus has a draft copy of Khumalo's affidavit, which says "Coetzee" had told him that before 2000 he had been "employed" as a SANDF sniper and had previously been a member of the notorious 32 Battalion. In 2004, "Coetzee" allegedly told Khumalo, he was offered R1m by a "certain white male person" called "Sheik" (sic) if he killed Zuma. The weapon would be supplied on the rooftop of a building close to where Zuma was due to address a rally.

But Zuma had not come to the rally so "Coetzee" had been forced to "abort the mission". "Coetzee" said he knew the mission had now been handed over to someone else to complete. He said he had had a change of heart about Zuma, which is why he had come forward with his story.

Zuma would not comment.

With acknowledgement to Jeremy Gordin and Cape Argus.