Murder-accused Zane Killian has accused Western Cape High Court official of trying to poison him amid preparations for the upcoming underworld trial.
Killian appeared alongside alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, who also lodged complaints about the “smell” of his food.
The duo and 13 others have been brought to court daily for consultations with their lawyers. The trial is officially set to start next Monday.
Addressing Judge Robert Henney on Monday, Advocate Pieter Nel said Killian had no problem being transferred to Goodwood Prison to alleviate the issues faced by the Anti-Gang Unit to transport Modack daily.
He said while he didn’t want to burden the court with “housekeeping issues”, he did need to alert Henney to the poisoning fears.
Nel said: “My client requested that I bring it to the court’s attention, a few days ago when food was given to him it had a smell, really bad, and he realised it was poisoned food.”
Henney replied: “That is a very serious allegation and needs to be taken up with the prison authorities. My job is just to decide whether you are guilty or not.”
A stern-faced Killian then rose to his feet and clarified that the incident had happened in the holding cells at the High Court.
He said: “If I die, that will also delay the trial.”
No further details were given of the alleged poisoning and Henney noted the allegations to a cop in the court room.
Modack could be seen nodding in the dock and shortly afterwards asked to speak with his representative, Advocate Bash Sibda, who confirmed that Modack had also noted something off with his food.
During proceedings, the various legal representatives indicated that they were ready to proceed with the trial, but Sibda advised that due to the large volume of evidence, he needed to consult with Modack for the rest of the week.
Mense in court chuckled when it was revealed that Modack’s younger brother, Yaseen, would now also be represented by Sibda after winning an appeal at Legal Aid.
State prosecutor, Advocate Greg Wolmarans, said while they did not object to this, there were concerns that the brothers’ testimonies could compromise them if they had the same lawyer.
But Henney quipped: “Hy gaan mos nie sy broer afstaan nie.”
Russel Cloete from the Legal Aid board confirmed that “blood was thicker than water” and there were no issues with the brothers having the same lawyer.