Cape Town - A self-confessed hitman claims that underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, sneaked him out of court despite being found in possession of the murder weapon which he used to kill the father of a Hawk officer.
In a sordid tale of love, deceit and gang camaraderie the state witness has continued to spill the beans on his former comrades and even outed Modack as the mastermind.
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.
On Monday he boldly told the court that after the murder he left Woodstock along with Mario Pietersen and fled to Eerste River. His friend later abandoned him.
He said he noticed that the revolver used to kill Heerschap had been removed from a secret hideaway in the roof of the house he was staying in. Pietersen later confirmed he had taken it.
The State witness explained he got a fright when he was later informed that Pietersen’s girlfriend had been arrested with one of the two firearms but he was later told it was not the murder weapon.
He told the court that Pietersen had two girlfriends simultaneously at the time but when asked by Judge Robert Henney to name them he refused.
He explained after the murder and while they managed to evade arrest he was approached by Modack’s alleged middleman, Ziyaad Poole who told him about another job.
He says he was expected to kill a white man at a nightclub in 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.
The State witness says the hit was later confirmed again and he was later handed the murder weapon while standing outside the house of alleged gang boss Mogamat Toufeek Brown but 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 and he told me they will see what they can do.”
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 says several weeks later Poole asked to meet him at a garage near Stikland and on arrival he saw a white VW GTi and a white BMW.
‘There I saw here is that man of the newspaper sitting in the back of the BMW. There was black guy who looked like a bouncer in the front. He 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 says he was given R3 000 by Poole and they departed.
The trial continues.