Cape Town – The possibility of a parallel police investigation being conducted into suspected underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack and his co-accused surfaced in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Attorney Chad Levendal, who represents one of the accused in the matter, questioned investigating officer Charl Kinnear, who has so far been the only witness the State has called to testify.
Last week it was claimed in court that controversial businessman Mark Lifman was controlling certain police officers and that the extortion case was effectively orchestrated.
Levendal on Thursday said his client, Jacques Cronje, a bodyguard who once ensured the safety of former housing minister Tokyo Sexwale's children, was told about his imminent arrest in November last year.
Major-General Jeremy Vearey, the head of the Cape Town cluster of police stations, had apparently told him this during a meeting.
Levendal asked Kinnear if he had been aware of this meeting. Kinnear said he had not.
Charges related to alleged security industry takeover
"General Vearey is running his own intelligence and having his own meetings," Kinnear said.
Levendal then asked him: "You're saying there could be a parallel investigation going on?"
But State prosecutor Esna Erasmus said this was speculation.
Cronje was arrested for cocaine dealing in the Cape Town city centre in June last year.
Levendal said a police officer known as "Skollie" had pulled him over.
"The suspicious part about this Skollie was that he was in fact not meant to be working that day," he said.
Kinnear said he knew many skollies (petty criminals), but not a "Skollie" as mentioned by Levendal.
Cronje is accused of extortion and intimidation alongside Modack, Ashley Fields, Colin Booysen – suspected Sexy Boys gang boss Jerome Booysen's brother – and Carl Lakay.
They face charges relating to an alleged takeover of the nightclub and restaurant security industry and claims that they forced owners to pay them.
For a detailed breakdown on what has been happening in the underworld nightclub security takeover, see News24's showcase Underworld Unmasked
The group was arrested on December 15 and lodged an application to be released on bail shortly afterwards.
The case continues.
