The first witness in an extortion case involving a violent takeover of Cape Town’s nightclub security industry has implicated himself.
Radley Dijkers, brand manager of The Grand Africa Café and Beach in the V&A Waterfront, on Wednesday became a Section 204 witness after he stated it was not him but his operations manager, Stuart Bailey, who had laid the extortion complaint with police.
Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act is used when the State requires a person who may have been a party to a crime to testify against others.
But Dijkers could be exempt from prosecution if the court finds he was truthful throughout his testimony.
Alleged underworld kingpins Colin Booysen and Nafiz Modack, as well as Ashley Fields and Jacques Cronjé are on trial at the Cape Town Regional Court for money laundering and extortion after they allegedly tried to extort R90 000 from The Grand.
State prosecutor Mervin Meningo stated Dijkers faced five offences, including:
- Extortion - accessory after the fact
- Concealment of crime - accessory after the fact
- Money laundering and fraud
- Rendering security services without registration
- Attempting to defeat the ends of justice
This after Dijkers testified that he explained to his management it was a ‘mistake’ to file the charges.
Dijkers admitted to paying the accused R90 000 and was satisfied with the security services rendered by TSG, allegedly owned by Modack and Booysen.
The matter has been postponed until 15 April 2019.