Nearly five years after his 74-year-old father was mercilessly gunned down in his driveway, a former Hawks detective has taken the stand at the Western Cape High Court against alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack.
Proceedings appeared tense as Nico Heerschap presented evidence refuting earlier claims made by Modack, showing that on the day his father was killed in a botched hit meant for him, he was set to testify against one of Modack’s alleged associates.
Heerschap told Judge Robert Henney that he first became familiar with Modack more than 10 years ago.
He was designated as the lead investigator on a high-profile yet unnamed investigation by the Hawks into claims by various banks of a Modack-led R50 million car fraud syndicate.
Heerschap said on 19 July 2016, the Hawks had traced a black VW Polo to Modack’s Plattekloof home amid alleged fraud committed by Modack’s co-accused, Petrus Visser. In the vehicle was Visser’s brother, Louis.
Having approached the vehicle on arrival, he also found Modack, who told him to ‘talk to his lawyer’ as he drove off.
However, Modack later handed himself over to the Hawks with the help of his now-deceased lawyer, Advocate Pete Mihalik.
The matter was later withdrawn.
Heerschap said about a month later he saw Modack drive past his Melkbosstrand home in a white BMW and in a second incident, a man who appeared to be a relative of Modack.
Heerschap said earlier claims made by Modack that he had no dealings with him were false, as by the time his father was murdered, the Hawks had compiled a docket of over 23 charges linked to alleged car fraud worth R50m.
The cases were opened by various banks across the country and Heerschap claimed that Modack along with his younger brother, Yaseen, and mom, Ruwaida were blocked by the banks from applying for any sort of credit.
The detective said: “It made him upset,.”
He said three months before the Hawks were set to arrest Modack, his father, Nicholaas, was murdered.
He also revealed that at the time, the Hawks had obtained a statement by an associate of Modack who was going to piemp him.
Heerschap explained that on the morning of his dad’s murder, he had left home in a police vehicle and collected a colleague on his way to court, where he was going to testify against Louis and Modack’s bodyguard on firearm-related charges.
He said he had arranged with his elderly father to use his private vehicle to transport his daughter to school that morning. The older man was subsequently shot and killed.
The trial continues on Monday.