Modack's Accusations Heighten Tensions in High-Profile Cape Town Underworld Trial

The trial of alleged Cape Town underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack, currently unfolding at the Western Cape High Court, has taken a dramatic turn with Modack accusing the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) of protecting high-ranking police officials. Amidst a high-stakes court battle, the accused stands firm in his allegation that IPID tried to influence him to drop charges against these senior officers.

This latest twist intensifies an already strained atmosphere in the courtroom, where Modack is being tried alongside 14 others on serious charges, including orchestrating the murder of senior Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear and plotting an assassination attempt on criminal lawyer William Booth. The case also involves the explosive attack at Kinnear's residence in Bishop Lavis.

Testimonies have put Modack's claims under the microscope, particularly those targeting the late Kinnear and the former head of provincial detectives, Jeremy Vearey. Modack has previously implicated these officers, suggesting that he had them in his pocket by paying them to return his firearms.

The court's attention is riveted on Modack's prior statement to a Detective Captain Alfred Barker, which the prosecution is using as evidence to back their corruption case against him. The authenticity of Modack's allegations was challenged by detailed bank records presented, revealing payment transactions not to police officers but to the partner of a Mohamed Hanware.

Controversy escalated as Modack, represented by Legal Aid lawyer Bash Sibda, submitted a note during cross-examination inferring additional claims regarding IPID's conduct. Sibda prompted a reaction from the courtroom, especially with an IPID investigator present, by probing whether Hawks’ detective Edward du Plessis knew of Modack's version of events where investigators supposedly directed him to retract charges against Vearey and falsely accuse Barker instead.

Ashley Tabisher, a former Anti-Gang Unit officer and co-defendant in the massive trial, has taken a stand in his defense by contesting his warning statement's admissibility. Declaring that bail was offered in exchange for the statement, Tabisher instigated a trial-within-a-trial, overseen by Judge Robert Henney, to examine the statement’s validity.

As the courtroom awaits further revelations, it is expected that next week, the Hawks detectives investigating the grenade attack planned against Kinnear’s home will begin their evidence presentation. With the trial in motion, all eyes are on the unfolding legal narrative, where accusations and defenses intertwine in a tangled web of crime and justice in South Africa.