The brothers Shaik have had more than their fair share of media attention. Rarely is it positive.

The infamous Schabir Shaik was jailed for corruption and freed after serving a mere two years of his 15-year sentence; Chippy Shaik was stripped of his doctorate after it emerged that sections of it had been plagiarised; and Moe Shaik accused (as it turned out, wrongly) the head of the NPA of being an apartheid spy.

Now, while it could be argued that it is not fair to judge one brother on the failings of his siblings, the Shaiks tend to stick together. They also tend to stick by their man Zuma. So, when our president chooses to appoint one of the Shaiks as head of the Secret Service, it is not only opposition parties who feel a little squeamish.

Surely there is nothing wrong with rewarding loyalty (or as the opposition so indelicately puts it 'payback')? Surely that is just how politics works? Perhaps. But in this particular instance, it seems necessary to drag up that whole 'corrupt relationship' detail.

Put simply: Schabir Shaik was essentially sent (albeit briefly) to jail for a crime in which Jacob Zuma was implicated. By some very savvy political and legal manoeuvring, our president managed to avoid going to jail or even having to answer the charges in court. If he hadn't, he probably wouldn't be our president.

Part of the abovementioned political manoeuvring was a smear campaign orchestrated by Moe Shaik and Mac Maharaj against then-head of the NPA (and the man leading the case against Schabir Shaik) Bulelani Ngcuka.

The problem lies not only with Zuma's messy (and best-forgotten) history with Schabir, it also lies with the perceived integrity of Moe Shaik. For while he may be a very good spy, he has proven that his is willing to use information — and that includes fictitious information — to meet his own (or a particular faction of the ANC's) ends.

Would you trust this man with your secrets? Perhaps more importantly, would you trust this man not to fabricate information implicating you in a crime you have not committed?

Luckily for journalists prone to inane mutterings about the wellbeing of a particular member of the Shaik fraternity, Moe Shaik will be heading up the Secret Service, which concerns itself with foreign intelligence and not the NIA which spends its time eavesdropping on local politicians (and former NPA bosses).

On page two: We take a brief look at the man set to fill the shoes of… well… let's just say M.

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