A scheme by a Cape Flats vrou to persuade the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) to help her secure bail for her bandiet boyfriend emerged at the Western Cape High Court on Thursday as former AGU boss Major-General Andre Lincoln took to the stand.
The much-anticipated testimony by Lincoln comes amid a constitutional challenge by Elsies River mom Amaal Jantjies to the confiscation of her cellphones after she was arrested for a failed grenade attack on the home of slain AGU commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear.
Jantjies and her ex-berk Janick Adonis are accused alongside alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, on an array of crimes including the grenade attack.
The couple made headlines in 2019 when AGU officers guarding Kinnear’s home amid threats on his life caught a suspect with a grenade outside his home.
Jantjies was busted for conspiracy to commit murder after the suspect known as Mamokie identified her as the woman who gave him the hand grenade on 22 November 2019.
Lincoln was called to testify as part of the trial-within-a-trial as Jantjies has called for the cellphone evidence to be ruled inadmissible.
Jantjies allegedly claimed her rights were never explained to her and told cops that she herself was an attorney at the time of the arrest.
In his testimony, Lincoln explained how Adonis sought out Kinnear while attending a trial at the Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court, saying he had information for him. He said he was asked to meet with Adonis at the AGU base and did so along with other police officers.
The alleged member of the Junky Funky Kidz gang told Lincoln and others that he had information on the firearm and the suspect who shot and killed Sergeant Donovan Prins in Lavender Hill in 2019.
In exchange, Adonis and Jantjies wanted the AGU to speak with the prosecutors to help secure bail for him, but Lincoln said this was not possible as the offences included murder and attempted murder and were too serious.
However, even though cops made an arrest, the calibre of the firearm did not match the one that killed Prins.
Lincoln said multiple meetings were held and Adonis asked that his motjie be present as she would help oversee matters while he was in custody.
The couple continued to supply information on the location of firearms but Lincoln said he became frustrated as there were no arrests because the guns were always abandoned in Delft.
“It became apparent that they were working with someone in Delft,” said Lincoln.
He said the couple became “very irritated” as they failed to understand that bail was granted by the courts and not police officers.
About a week before the grenade attack, Lincoln said Jantjies called for another meeting where she started to piemp Modack and showed cops that she had been in contact with him.
Jantjies was seemingly aware of Kinnear’s investigation into Modack after the arrest of his wife and instead offered to supply information about Modack to AGU.