Durban - Schabir Shaik has hit out at the caddies at Papwa Sewgolum Golf Course in Reservoir Hills who have accused him of assault and verbal abuse, saying they were being used by people who wanted to see him back in jail.
In an interview with the Daily News on Monday the convicted fraudster, who was controversially released on parole after serving less than a third of his 15-year sentence because he was terminally ill - denied that he assaulted a caddie at the golf course three weeks ago, or paid him R500 not to lay criminal charges.
In a related development, another caddie came forward on Monday alleging that Shaik also assaulted him two months ago.
Innocent Dlamini, who has worked as a caddie at the course for more than 10 years, alleged that Shaik, in a fit of rage, assaulted him with a golf club, but said he had not laid charges as he was afraid.
“He accused me of stealing his friend’s cap. Then he took his driver and hit me on the legs. He must have hit me four or five times and told me to f*** off,” said Dlamini.
“He always says that he is friends with (President Jacob) Zuma, so I am scared to go to the police.”
Dlamini denied trying to steal the cap. His story was backed up by his colleague, Moses Mbambo, who said he witnessed the alleged incident, and a caddie master who did not want his name published.
Dlamini said Shaik had a reputation for a bad temper on the golf course and was prone to swearing at caddies when he was off his game.
“If we had a choice we would not caddie for him. But we need the money,” he said. “Also he doesn’t pay us what he owes us. One time, after caddying for him the whole day he took me to the garage, gave me a R100 and told me to go buy him a pie and a coke. When I came out he was gone. How can he do that with my money?”
Shaik vehemently denied the allegations and said it was only the caddies at the Papwa Sewgolum course that had a problem with him.
“I play at golf courses all over KZN, but it is only at Papwa where they have a problem,” he said.
“If I had a Chuck Norris syndrome surely I would be having a problem with all the caddies at all the golf courses in KZN.”
In the alleged assault three weeks ago, another Papwa Sewgolum caddie said Shaik had beaten him with a wedge, trampled on his foot with spiked golf shoes and allegedly called him a k***** during a round.
The caddie said he was paid R500 not to open a case at the Sydenham police station by a person purporting to be “Shaik’s driver”.
“I won’t even begin to dignify that with an answer,” Shaik said about the allegation that he used a derogatory word.
On the allegation that his driver paid the caddie R500, Shaik said:
“I don’t know who paid him R500. I don’t have a driver, my brother. I drive myself. The last time I had a driver was during my Nkobi (Holdings) days. I drive myself everywhere. In fact I was told that he wanted R5 000 for him not to go to the media. I was never going to agree to that.”
Shaik said that on the day of the alleged incident he and his doctor, Salim Gaffoor, went for a round at the golf course when they were approached by the caddie who offered to carry their equipment.
“On that day we decided to take a cart when, if you do, you generally don’t take a caddie. No one takes a cart and a caddie,” he said. “(But) I feel sorry for those laaities (youngsters). They stand there all day waiting to earn maybe R20, R30, R50 or whatever the caddie fee is. This guy came up to me, tattoos on his face. That does not mean nothing to me. He asked to carry my bags, but I told him because we had a cart he could be ball watcher for the day,” he said.
He said a few holes into the course he noticed that the caddie was only paying attention to him and not worrying about looking for Gaffoor’s balls or wiping his clubs.
“I told him to also look after Dr Gaffoor because we were both going to pay him. He got irritated with me and that is when I told him not to be cheeky with me. I told him I didn’t need the money and he needed the money. He said, ‘because you think you have so much money you can buy me off?’ I told him, ‘my brother, please, I don’t want to have a discussion with you’, and that is when Dr Gaffoor came over and gave him R50 to go,” said Shaik. “At this time we had not even played the ninth hole.”
Shaik denied hitting the caddie with a golf club or trampling on him with studs.
“If I hit a guy with a wedge, which is a large iron, it would have definitely cut him,” he said.
“If I stood on his foot he would have had scratches because I have spikes and spikes are sharp.”
Shaik said he would not be surprised if the caddie was sent to “trap” him.
“Before we started the game I bought the caddie master a drink, I bought the tee master a drink and I bought my caddie a drink. I am not a person who is a miser,” he said.
“They won’t say, ‘Mr Shaik was in a hearty mood when they started the game, they bought us all a drink but something happened along the course that made his head turn’.”
Shaik said he had done a lot for caddies all over Durban that he did not like to speak about and did not understand where the allegations stemmed from.
“If I assault anyone I will go back to prison. The prison officials will come take my statement and say, ‘you have assaulted someone’ and take me back to prison,” he said.
Aslam Peer, a board member of the Papwa Sewgolum Club, said they were concerned by the incident.
“We are trying to arrange a meeting with the caddie and Mr Shaik to find out exactly what happened. We as the board were unaware of this incident. We are now aware of it and we are making enquiries whereafter we will take appropriate action.”
Robert Manjoo, former president of the Papwa Sewgolum Club and former chairman of the Caddies Association, said Shaik was always generous with caddies.
“I’ve never known him to be cruel. He comes from that (giving) background. I’ve known him to buy needy caddies clothes and shoes. He is a very benevolent person.”
Daily News