The change of government has opened doors for the once "discredited" allies of President Jacob Zuma, with Mo Shaik admitting to enjoying the "sunshine era".

But Shaik warned the current government not to repeat the mistakes of the previous administration by treating enemies with disdain, denying them a right to earn a living.

Shaik conceded that the election of Zuma as president has opened doors for people like him who were apparently blacklisted by the Thabo Mbeki government.

"The previous administration actively went out to seriously affect the income-earning capacities of people. I can speak from my own experience. At least we do not live in the days of the dark clouds anymore, where it was simply hard to make a living, when no one wanted to touch you … to be seen with you.

"For me that is happiness. Whether the government offers me a job or not, that doesn't matter. As long as I know of my own capacity if I go out to the real world, there is no longer that absolute resistance to say 'don't touch him'. We have passed that era, we are now in an era of sunshine," he said

Others who fell from grace but were later associated with the Zuma camp in the succession battle, and are now in the new government include former journalists, controversial Vusi Mona and Ranjeni Munusamy.

Mona was this week appointed deputy director-general of communications in the Presidency.

Munusamy is the media strategist for Minister for Higher Education Blade Nzimande.

The elevation to prominence of the two with the election of Zuma has had many wondering whether more Zuma allies will flood the public service.

Not quite, says Shaik, brother of former Zuma financial adviser Schabir Shaik.

For now, he says, he is enjoying his life as a consultant and picking up the pieces in his life. And he is in no rush.

For one, Shaik is father to a 15-month-old son, and his brother Schabir has recently been released from jail on a controversial parole.

But Shaik says he will consider a return to the public service if asked.

He previously worked for Foreign Affairs.

"I'm earning a living as a consultant. I'm a very good strategic change management consultant. Have I received any offer to go into the public service? No.

"It would depend on what am I required to do I would have to evaluate it against everything I'm doing currently," he said.

But what makes the appointment of the two former journalists curious is their unholy alliance with Shaik and others in 2003 when they conspired against former national director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka - Zuma's nemesis.

Mona, as City Press editor, accepted and printed Munusamy's story - who was then working for the rival Sunday Times - accusing Ngcuka of being an apartheid-era spy.

Shaik and former politician Mac Maharaj tried to corroborate the story at the Hefer Commission as grounds to show that Ngcuka abused his office to prosecute Zuma.

The commission was seen by the Zuma allies as an Mbeki attempt to protect Ngcuka.

Ironically, charges against Zuma would be dropped six years later after the defence produced tapes to show that Ngcuka and former Scorpion boss Leonard McCarthy plotted to influence the prosecution.

But Shaik says he is happy Munusamy has bounced back. "She, too, suffered marginalisation and no one wanted to touch her. It was very hard for people such as her, Mona, Maharaj and others to earn a living. No one wants to employ you ... I hope that our current administration would not do this to the ones who just left (office) - everyone has a right to earn a living," says Shaik.

• This article was originally published on page 5 of The Pretoria News on July 11, 2009

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