Controversial Cape Town businessman Nafiz Modack and five others would return to instil fear on the nightclub scene if released on bail.
Giving testimony at the bail hearing of the six men, investigating officer Charl Kinnear concluded his appearance in front of magistrate Joe Magele at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, which had taken most of yesterday’s proceedings because of the amount of information and history he had provided.
Mentioning names synonymous with the Cape Town underworld, such as the assassinated kingpins “Yuri the Russian” and Cyril Beeka, as well as Radovan Krejcir and criminal lawyer Noorudien Hassan, who died after he was shot six times outside his home in Crawford.
All in some way were connected with accused number one - Modack.
Modack was appearing with suspected gang kingpins Colin Booysen, brother of suspected gang leader Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, Ashley Fields, Jacques Cronje and Carl Lakay. All are facing charges of extortion and intimidation for violently demanding protection fees from several nightclubs.
Kinnear said he had conducted an interview with Ukrainian national Igor Russol, who had previously been linked to businessman Mark Lifman and Jerome Booysen.
“Russol said Modack had offered him work and lodgings and asked him to arrange
a meeting with Lifman and Jerome Booysen to broker a peace deal.
“Russol was told to to kill both men after the peace pact was set up. However, he told Modack he could not go around killing people; it was not the jungle,” he said.
The investigating officer said Russol was in the process of drafting a statement with his lawyers, and told them that Modack used his experience under Beeka to extort money from successful Cape Town business people of Jewish heritage.
Kinnear had testified on Tuesday that police were in possession of a recording where Modack, in a meeting with Major-General Jeremy Vearey, named two major-
generals in the Western Cape Police with whom he had connections.
Modack said in the recording that Booysen was a gangster and he used this reputation to instil fear among the Cape Town nightclub owners.
Kinnear said police were in possession of a video and a voice recording of Modack, Booysen and Cronje threatening or physically assaulting people at well-known establishments.
“It is my opinion and experience that these men, will return to instil fear in the business owners and return to extorting and threatening them and their patrons.
“These men are a danger, as was evident when, during an incident at the Cubana in Green Point in early December, a bouncer was allegedly stabbed to death and another injured in an ongoing turf war, because Modack and his crew had refused to accept a table outside.”
After a deliberation on the next available court date, State prosecutor Adiel Jansen and the five defence attorneys agreed to a date next week as neither he nor Kinnear are available for the rest of the week. The accused are on remand. The bail application is set to continue on January 11.