'It's better that he's gone home'

Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik was "seriously ill" when he was released from Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital on medical parole.

This is according to the nurse tracked down by the Saturday Star, who has been at his bedside for the last three months.

Speaking anonymously, the nurse admitted she had been dubious of Shaik's medical condition when she was first assigned to the high-care ward.

She thought Shaik was faking his illness and was wasting taxpayers' money, she said.

She was not the only one, as the other nurses were also curious. They wanted to know what was wrong with Shaik.

When he was first admitted to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, the nurses tried to access his files, as they would any other patient in their charge. But last year his files were blocked by the hospital management.

"The man is really sick. I felt so bad when I saw him. He would not even be able to escape even if warders were not guarding him," the woman said. He was so sick, she said, that tests had to be done hourly.

Yesterday afternoon a doctor came to treat Shaik at his palatial Morningside, Durban, home. As the guard stood next to the gate, a white van pulled up next to him. "Where is our man, we want to see him?" asked a man smiling broadly.

He and his friend had come to find out how Shaik was doing. When the guard told him Shaik was sleeping, the man answered: "He won't die. He will be okay. He must be our next minister of finance."

Shaik's home has been totally closed off to anyone but relatives and friends since his release, with his brothers saying only that he was heavily sedated inside the house.

However, the Saturday Star has learnt that Shaik rallied at the sight of his child and visitors.

In fact, one person who saw him claimed he did not look sick at all.

"He's faking it. He doesn't want people to see him. I saw him walking around his yard. When he is with his visitors, he is okay and smiling. I am telling you he is not sick."

Shaik's medical records and the identity of the doctors who examined him for the parole board remain a closely guarded secret, despite the efforts of political parties this week to force their disclosure.

Shaik's controversial road to freedom began in September, when Parliament's portfolio committee on correctional services met to consider his incarceration. They discussed a number of issues, including the R3 million it would cost for him to serve out even half his sentence in hospital. By that stage, Shaik had spent half his jail time in hospital, at a cost of R219 650.

They were also concerned that reports were streaming in about Shaik wandering the hospital grounds and smoking, and the public perception that he was receiving preferential treatment.

At its meeting, the committee could not get the details of Shaik's exact medical condition, because the Correctional Services Department claimed doctor-patient confidentiality.

But even if Shaik makes a full recovery from his "grave illness", he still will not see the inside of a prison again, provided he abides by his medical parole conditions. This is because gaps in the policy framework governing medical parole do not give the department any control over offenders who recover from their illness, according to department spokesman Manelisi Wolela.

Wolela said they acknowledged there were gaps in the current policy framework.

This week, renowned cardiologist Professor Harry Seftel said risks related to high blood pressure were usually controllable, even from inside prison. There were cases where treatment was difficult, but with today's modern advancements, it was rare, he said.

With acknowledgements to Solly Maphumulo, Carvin Goldstone and The Star.