Cape Town – A member of the Junky Funky Kids (JFK) gang has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for attempting to throw a hand grenade at slain top cop Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear’s house.
Fareez Smith, 25, was convicted and sentenced in the Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court on three counts of intimidation related to a failed hand grenade attack.
This comes after Smith confessed to being part of a plot to bomb Kinnear’s home in Bishop Lavis in 2019, during a plea and sentencing agreement.
He was convicted on charges of aiding and abetting the activities of a gang, possession of explosives under certain circumstances and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment for each of the three charges he was convicted on, but the court ordered them to run concurrently.
Smith admitted to being a member of the JFK gang operating in Manenberg on the Cape Flats.
The gang committed crimes such as conspiracy to commit murder, murder, attempted murder, possession of firearms, possession of ammunition, theft, housebreaking, assault and dealing in drugs.
In his plea and sentencing agreement the court heard Smith and Janick Adonis were members and belonged to the same gang.
He claimed Adonis contacted him from prison on November 22, 2019 and they conspired to launch a hand grenade at the Kinnear home which was set to kill the policeman.
According to Smith, Adonis told him that his girlfriend, Amaal Jantjies, would contact him and confirm details for the plot.
Adonis and Kantjies with others are co-accused charged with the murder of Kinnear.
The court heard Jantjies contacted Smith and the pair met after she arrived in a German sedan with two occupants in the vehicle, a man and woman.
Smith was given directions to the target (the Kinnear home) and was shown, via video footage, where he had to throw the grenade.
He was to be paid R3 000.
Smith told the court he was unaware the house he was targeting belonged to Kinnear and this only became known after he spoke to Adonis on Jantjies’ phone.
Smith confessed that on November 23, 2019, they first bought and smoked tik in the vehicle in Clarke Estate, thereafter, he was dropped off close to the Kinnear house and his instructions were sent via SMS from Adonis.
He had to throw the hand grenade hard against the wall and ensure the pin came out so the grenade would detonate.
Smith said he was given the hand grenade which he put in his pants, walked towards the house but as he got closer he saw two police officers getting out of their vehicle which was parked in front of the house.
He was confronted by the officers and at this time the hand grenade fell out of his pants.
He was immediately arrested.
Smith told the court he knew the hand grenade in his possession could have killed the officers along with the Kinnear family who were inside the house at the time.
In 2020, Kinnear was assassinated outside of his home in his vehicle.
The court declared Smith unfit to possess a firearm and the hand grenade has since been forfeited to the State.
Earlier this month, convicted murderer Abongile Nqodi confessed to murdering the father of Warrant Officer Nico Heerschap a former member of the Hawks, who was investigating Modack in July 2019.
In his plea and sentence agreement, Nqodi fingered Modack as the one who ordered the hit.
Adonis, Jantjies alongside controversial businessman Nafiz Modack, Jacques Cronje, Zane Killian, former anti-gang unit member, Ashley Tabisher and Ricardo Morgan are facing an array of charges including the murder of Kinnear in the Blue Downs regional court.
The case against the group has been postponed until July 6.