The State’s first witness in the extortion case against security kingpins Nafiz Modack and Colin Booysen told the court a captain from the police’s Anti-Gang Unit coerced him into making a statement against the accused.
Radley Dijkers also admitted that he was at no stage threatened or forced to sign a contract with the accused’s security company, TSG, as he previously claimed.
He continued his testimony on Tuesday in the Cape Town Regional Court where Modack, Booysen, the brother of alleged Sexy Boys gang leader Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, as well as Ashley Fields and Jacques Cronje, are on trial for money laundering and extortion, linked to a violent takeover of the local nightclub security industry.
The fifth accused in the matter, Carl Lakay, was murdered in August last year in the driveway of his Goodwood home.
The group was nabbed in December 2017 for allegedly trying to extort R369 000 from The Grand Africa Cafe and Beach near the V&A Waterfront.
That amount was reduced to R90 000.
During cross-examination by Modack’s lawyer, Advocate Dirk Uys, Dijkers told the court that “Captain Japhtha” told him she would “hold him” if he did not give a statement to the investigating officer, Colonel Charl Kinnear.
“The words she used were if I don’t testify she would hold me as an accomplice. I interpreted it as if I don’t testify, she would take charges against me.”
When Uys asked whether he was coerced into telling Kinnear what had happened, Dijkers said “yes”.
Asked why he did not mention this in previous police statements, Dijkers said: “I am in a situation of who I am more afraid of; the gentlemen seated behind you (referring to the accused) or the police.”
Dijkers also admitted to giving six AGU members, including Captain Japhtha, “gifts of goodwill” puffer jackets with The Grand logo worth R1800 each after he made his statement to Kinnear.
Uys immediately told Dijkers that this amounted to corruption.
“To give a policeman a gift to generate goodwill towards you while doing his official duties is a crime. It is also my instruction that when my client (Modack) was arrested (in December 2017), AGU members were wearing their The Grand jackets at the time,” Uys stated.
In a shocking twist, Dijkers then went back on earlier statements where he claimed that he was forced to sign a contract with TSG.
He said he assumed when Modack approached him that it was a “hostile takeover”.
He admitted that he was never forced or threatened to sign the contract.
Magistrate Byron Pedro then asked him if he at any stage indicated to the accused that he was not interested or willing to sign and he said “no”.
“So they can, in good faith, take it the matter was concluded in good faith?” asked Pedro and Dijkers replied “yes”.
The trial continues.