Schabir Shaik Dubbed the 'Longest-Dying Person in History' in Viral Satire Post

• A satirical post claiming Guinness named Schabir Shaik the longest-living 'terminally ill' patient went viral on X
• Shaik was released on medical parole in 2009 after serving just over two years of a 15-year sentence for fraud and corruption
• South Africans online reacted with sharp humour after Shaik was spotted living freely for 17 years post-release

A satirical post about convicted businessman Schabir Shaik has gone viral on X, reigniting one of South Africa's most bitter public grievances.

Retired attorney Brett Ben Raphael posted the joke on 28 August 2026, writing:

"BREAKING: South Africa takes it. Guinness names Schabir Shaik as the longest-living 'terminally ill' patient. Paroled in 2009. Still here. Satire. Facts aren't."

The post racked up 45,000 views, 483 retweets and 1,400 likes within hours.

Shaik does not hold a Guinness World Record, but the joke lands because the underlying facts are real. On 3 March 2009, he was released from prison on medical parole after serving just two years and four months of a 15-year sentence. He had been convicted in 2005 of fraud and two counts of corruption, with Judge Hilary Squires ruling that a "generally corrupt relationship" existed between Shaik and then-Deputy President Jacob Zuma. Two weeks after Shaik's conviction, President Thabo Mbeki fired Zuma.

Read also

DA Councillor’s viral video playing a game during Joburg council sitting sparks heated debate

The medical parole that never ended

Section 79 of the Correctional Services Act at the time required a prisoner to be in the final phase of a terminal illness to qualify for early release. Shaik was freed on that basis, with medical assessments suggesting he had only days or months to live.

He went on to live for decades. He was frequently spotted at golf courses and shopping centres, and in March 2011 was briefly rearrested after allegedly assaulting a journalist on a golf course and a man outside a mosque. His 15-year sentence expired fully in January 2020, making him a free man in every legal sense.

The parole release had always been deeply unpopular. Its timing drew particular scrutiny because Jacob Zuma was sworn in as President just two months later, in May 2009.

Mzansi reacts with sharp humour

South Africans in the comments section under X user @Brettbenraphael's post were not holding back:

Read also

Gareth Cliff slams SA academia after local media tribute to Jason Arday

@SdShandor wrote:

"Golf and expensive whisky never stopped, of course, with his other corrupt Zuma and ANC cohort club."

@SassKloppers60 said:

"The man looks remarkably good for someone dodging a coffin."

@Zwanndam observed:

"Paroled in 2009 on medical parole for being terminally ill, 17 years and counting. The only terminal thing was the sentence, not the patient. Modern medicine can't explain it; the parole board can."

@STha96096 asked:

"I wonder if the doctor who made the prognosis was ever handsomely compensated with taxpayers' money?"

@Sairs66 noted:

"He knew how to take his pardon and lay low. It's that inability to keep quiet which finds others trouble. Shaik is Die Grootman [The Big Man]."

See the X post below:

More on Schabir Shaik and South African corruption

• Briefly News previously reported that Jacob Zuma's long-running arms deal case was delayed again as he continued his legal bid to remove prosecutor Billy Downer.
• Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala's claim that he feared catching life-threatening germs in jail amused South Africans, who quickly pointed out that medical care was available behind bars.
• Suliman Carrim's repeated absence from the Madlanga Commission sparked comparisons with Schabir Shaik after the businessman remained in a medical facility ahead of his testimony.

Source: Briefly News