A gunman who killed the father of a Hawks detective who had been investigating a VIP security company owned by Nafiz Modack, has been sentenced to 20 years in the mang.
Abongile Nqodi, 35, was sentenced at the Khayelitsha Priority Court last week for the murder of Nicholaas Heerschap, 74, who was shot in a hit that was meant for his son outside their home in Melkbosstrand in 2019.
Nqodi had entered into a plea agreement with the State.
At the time of the killing, the Hawks revealed that Heerschap’s son, former Warrant Officer Nico Heerschap, was testifying against Modack at the Cape Town Regional Court.
The security company, which has since shut down, had issues with firearms which were seized by the Hawks due to the lack of documents.
On the day of the murder, Nico had left home, which he shared with his father, early and it is believed that his elderly father was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity.
Photographs of the oupa’s Toyota Land Cruiser were later shared showing blood dripping from the driver’s door.
Hawks spokesperson, Zinzi Hani, says Nico resigned shortly after the murder.
“It was understood that the murder was actually aimed at Warrant Officer Heerschapp and not his father with the motive being the investigation he was busy with at the time of his father’s murder.”
She says investigations by the detectives unearthed that Nqodi was allegedly fingered in a string of serious cases, including the murder of Heerschap among other murder cases.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of Nqodi, a repeat offender detained at Pollsmoor Prison, for an unrelated offence where he is already serving 15 years.”
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila says Nqodi, who belongs to the 28s prison gang,told the court that Modack ordered the hit.
“He (Nqodi) confessed in his plea and sentencing agreement that on 9 July 2019, together with Riyaat Gesant, Fagmeed Kelly and Mario Petersen drove to an address in Melkbosstrand to kill Hawks detective, Warrant Officer Nico Heerschap,” Ntabazalila said in a statement.
“When they arrived at the address, they saw a white male reversing out of the yard in a bakkie. He and Gesant, who was a backup shooter, got out of their vehicle, went to the reversing vehicle and he shot the driver twice in the head. The deceased was the father of Warrant Officer Nico Heerschap, Nicolaas Paulus Heerschap.
“At the time Warrant Officer Nico Heerschap was investigating Modack.
“They were paid R25 000 for the assassination, which they split five times. He claims he later met Modack in Kuilsriver and he congratulated him on the job well done in Melkbosstrand and Modack told him not to worry about legal fees as he has covered them.
“Nqodi further claims that Modack told him that he would give instructions to another gang member if he, Modack, wanted something done.
“He confessed that he murdered the deceased on instructions of Modack and the leader of the Terrible West Siders, Moegamat Toufeeq Brown.
He also claimed that Modack funded the murder.“
Nqodi was slapped with five charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, firearm related charges and charges under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
He entered into a plea deal with the state and was sentenced to 50 years behind bars but as the sentences will run concurrently, he will serve an effective 20 years.
Hani warns that more arrests are imminent.