A self-confessed hitman claimed that alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack smokkeled him out of court despite him being found in possession of the murder weapon used to kill the father of a Hawks officer.
In a sordid tale of love, deceit and gang camaraderie, the brave State witness on Monday continued to spill the beans on his former brasse and even outed Modack as the “big boss”.
The self-confessed member of the Terrible West Siders gang, who can only be named as Mr A, is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Nicolaas Heerschap, 74, who is the father of a former Hawks detective.
Taking the stand on Monday, he boldly told the court that after the murder, he left Woodstock along with Mario “Piele” Pietersen and fled to Eerste River where his friend later abandoned him, and he returned to the TWS gang’s stronghold in Woodstock.
He said he noticed that the revolver used to kill Heerschap had been removed from a secret sloot in the roof of the house he was staying at and Pietersen later confirmed he had taken it.
Mr A said he got a skrik when he was informed that Pietersen’s girlfriend in Woodstock had been arrested with one of the two firearms, but he was later told that it was not the murder weapon.
He said after the Heerschap murder, he was approached by Modack’s alleged middleman, Ziyaad “Yaati” Poole, who told him about another job.
He was expected to kill a white man at a nightclub in the Cape Town CBD but his target had already left and they were instructed to go to an unknown location along the N1 highway where the hit was called off.
Mr A said the hit was later re-arranged and he was handed the murder weapon outside the house of alleged gang boss Mogamat Toufeek Brown, and that’s where cops pounced on them.
“They found the gun under the seat and while at the cells in Woodstock, I used a 1,2,3 phone to phone Accused 3 [Poole] and he told me they will see what they can do.”
He said after being taken to a “court in town”, he was met by a lawyer named Gary Newmark.
“I didn’t even see the magistrate, he just took me out and when we were outside, he phoned Accused 3. He gave me the phone and that is when Accused 3 said to me, ‘you see what the big boss can do?’”
He said several weeks later, Poole asked to meet him at a garage near Stikland and on arrival, he saw a white VW Golf GTI and a white BMW.
“There I saw, here is that man of the koerant sitting in the back of the BMW,” he said referring to Modack.
“There was a black guy who looked like a bouncer in the front. He [Modack] told me he was proud of the work I had done in Melkbosstrand. He told me he is a businessman. He said he knows about my situation and he will sort me out with a car, gun and pay for the lawyers.”
He said he was given R3 000 by Poole and they departed.
The trial continues.