Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik is out of bed and enjoying some of his favourite dishes from trendy Durban eateries, including pasta dishes from Spiga d'Oro.

It's been about three months since Shaik was granted a controversial medical parole on the grounds that he was terminally ill.

Although he's reportedly still too unwell to leave his Morningside mansion, Weekend Argus has established that he has been entertaining friends at home.

"He has not come to the restaurant, but I have been visiting him at his home," said Sergio Santoniccolo, a close friend of Shaik's and owner of Spiga d'Oro - an establishment Shaik used to frequent so often he even had a dish named after him: Linguini alla Shaik.

"When I go visit, I take some food from the restaurant and we talk," Santoniccolo said.

He said he visited Shaik fairly often and added that Shaik, although no longer bed-ridden, was far from healthy. "He looks and sounds very tired. He talks softly and you can hear in his voice that he is still unwell.

"He has been ill for two years and though people try to bring politics into his health issues, the reality is that the man is really sick and his health is still a big problem."

When asked if Shaik could get around, his brother Mo declined to comment, instead giving Weekend Argus a tongue-lashing for harassing the family.

Shaik's neighbours also claim not to have seen him outside the walls of his mansion since his medical parole.

"Everyone says he just stays indoors and I can't say any different," said a resident in Shaik's road.