Shaik investigation 'incomplete'

TWO-AND-A-HALF months after convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik allegedly assaulted a journalist on a golf course, police have still not finalised their investigation

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Brigadier Phindile Radebe said yesterday that the docket, which was sent back to them by acting director of public prosecutions Simphiwe Mlotshwa last month, is still incomplete.

"We are still investigating and I cannot say when the investigation will be complete. At this stage, I am unable to say what needs to be completed because it is a sensitive matter and may jeopardise the case," Radebe said.

But Institute for Security Studies crime and justice expert Johan Burger said the average turnaround time for a common assault case is no more than two weeks.

"This case is taking more than two months. It appears that the police are stalling . The police need to say what is keeping them from finalising this matter," he said.

Journalist Amanda Khoza laid the charge against Shaik in March after he allegedly slapped and throttled her on the Papwa Sewgolum Golf Course in Durban on February 26. She was following up a tip-off that Shaik - who has been granted medical parole on the grounds that he is terminally ill - was teeing off.

Burger said a completed docket for a common assault case would contain statements from the accused, the complainant, witnesses and a form to show that the complainant had been examined by a doctor.

"In this case, we know who the accused and the complainant are. By now police would have established the identities of the witnesses.

"If there is a key witness who may be unavailable to make a statement, police need to say this." Burger said the fact that Shaik was a high-profile person was "for some reason impacting negatively on the police's ability to finalise this matter".

Shaik was rearrested shortly after the Khoza charge when a new assault claim against him surfaced. He spent 48 hours behind bars after he reportedly punched fellow worshipper Mohamed Ismail outside the Masjid al Hilal mosque in Overport.