Cape Town - Alleged underworld boss Nafiz Modack is a humanitarian who feeds thousands of people every day, and not a murderer or criminal, say his supporters, some of whom flew from as far as Pretoria to support him during his appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Images of 100 litre pots of Akhni being given to hungry children were used on posters, asking: “If Nafiz does not feed us, who will?”
Modack was whisked off to Pollsmoor Prison on Friday after his appearance alongside Jacques Cronje, Ricardo Morgan and Zane Kilian.
They bundled their belongings, some in Woolworths bags and stuffed pillows, under their arms.
Video: Jessica Riley
Kilian remains imprisoned in Goodwood Prison and appears to have lost weight.
Modack donned his signature leather jacket and his hair was neatly shaved. Cronje complained of being ill and sat down during proceedings. Kilian sported a head decorated with patterns, made either from tattoos or henna.
Modack, Cronje and Morgan were arrested on April 29 during a high-speed chase in Century View, Century City. They were joined by Kilian in the dock on a list of charges relating to intimidation, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering and contravening the law on electronic communication.
The State alleges that, on March 9 at Crystal Towers Hotel, Century City, Modack and Morgan “threatened to kill or damage the properties of Sameer Valley claiming he (Valley) did not owe R545 000 to another person, including signing an admission of depth of R600 000, owed to the same person and forcing that R90 000 be EFTed to a bank account”.
State prosecutor Adnaan Gelderbloem said consultations had taken place with the regional head at Blue Downs Regional Court for a consolidation of the cases. For security reasons, the cases would be transferred to the Blue Down’s Regional Court on May 20.
Modack’s lawyer, advocate Dirk Uys, said, said the date was too far.
After a brief adjournment, the parties agreed that May 14 would be suitable for a bail application and consolidation of charges.
Modack is facing another charge, for the attempted murder of advocate William Booth in April last year and Morgan faces a count of money-laundering.
During the high-speed chase, Modack is alleged to have tried to evade police.
He has been charged with reckless driving, attempted murder and resisting arrest after apparently attempting to run over a police officer.
This matter was also postponed to May 14.
While being escorted by police, the accused were greeted by a swarm of supporters , who donned masks with the words “Modack group” printed on them.
They hoisted posters with the words: “Nafiz is being framed”, “Nafiz Modack for the people”, and “Watch this space, this man is coming back”.
On his “Nafiz Modack Foundation,” page on Facebook, Modack is seen feeding people during the pandemic.
Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) members and police officers, armed with rifles and firearms, secured the courthouse entrance and exit as well as the courtroom.
Yumna Williams, of Mitchells Plain, said Modack had funded the feeding scheme she ran. “He feeds up to a 1 000 people every day. We are funded by Nafiz, and what will we do without him now?”
Safia Mohamed Ali had travelled from Pretoria to support Modack. He said police were out to frame Modack because he had laid a charge against the SAPS earlier this year.
“Nafiz Modack is not a murderer. The police are framing him because why did they raid his house after he opened up a case against them, beating up his dogs and being chased by unmarked vehicles,” she said. “He sees nations, not just Muslims, but non-Muslims.”
Modack, Cronje and Morgan were being held in the cells at Bellville police station.
Uys asked for Modack to be held inside a single cell.
He said his client intended to open a case of attempted murder against the Bellville Special Task Force.
Modack released footage earlier this year showing his gardener, Petrus Visser, who the State claims is his security manager, being assaulted by police in the presence of the Hawks.
Visser is expected to be back in court on May 12 on a charge of intimidation. He allegedly threatened Captain Edward du Plessis, telling him to abstain from investigating the case of AGU commander, Lieutenant Charl Kinnear, or be killed.
He alleged called Du Plessis to inform him that there was a R1 million bounty for his murder.
Modack is no stranger to opening cases.
In March this year, he opened a criminal case against the Hawks, who he claimed had tried to extort R1m from him.
Kilian is separately charged for the murder of Kinnear, who was assassinated outside his home in Bishop Lavis last September, and the attempted murder of advocate Wiliam Booth.
Modack is due to join AGU member Ashley Tabisher in the dock in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of corruption.
Modack, 39, who says he is a married businessman residing in Plattekloof, faces a charge of actively participating in or having been a criminal gang member, five counts of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, conspiring to acquire an explosive and conspiring to have in their possession or under their control explosives.
The State is set to prove that the attack was orchestrated with the assistance of members from the JFK, Junky Funky Gang, and to obtain explosive devices, between September to November 2019, with the purpose of conspiring to murder Kinnear who had been investigating underworld trade.
Separate to this, the State believes the two attempted to murder Kinnear, his wife Nicolette, sons Carlisle and Casleigh Kinnear, and two police officers at the residence in Bishop Lavis in November 2019.
The State alleges Modack is the manager of an underworld enterprise who had a relationship with a police officer Tabisher and JFK member Janick Adonis and his girlfriend, Amaal Jantjies, in conspiring to murder Kinnear.
Jantjies and Adonis had co-operated with the AGU in order for Adonis to be granted bail or get a reduced sentence in a separate matter in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court.
The State alleges that Tabisher had been responsible for the transportation of Adonis to court and that meetings were held between them, AGU head General Andre Lincoln and Jantjies, for a request to be granted bail and to obtain their assistance for mitigation and aggravation of sentence.
Modack and Adonis had previously been inside prison together.
It is alleged that Modack had offered to pay for Adonis’s bail application in the Cape High Court and that payments of R20 000 were deposited into Jantjies’s bank account.
Last week, during her bail application in the Parow Regional Court, the State called Jantjies a cold-blooded killer and said he had connections to the underworld and an arsenal of weapons.
Jantjies and her co-accused, Farez Smith, aka Mamokie, and Adonis have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder relating to the hand grenade incident.
Weekend Argus