Mathys Visser appeared in court on Wednesday alongside James de Jager in connection with a charge relating to firearms. Both of them are involved in private security.

They applied for and were granted bail.

Visser and De Jager were arrested on December 15. This was the same day that Modack, as well as Colin Booysen – who is the brother of suspected Sexy Boys gang leader Jerome "Donkie" Booysen – Jacques Cronje, Ashley Fields, and Carl Lakay were taken into custody.

Modack and his four co-accused are facing extortion charges. They also appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Late in 2016 a new grouping, headed by Modack, started taking over the control of nightclub security from a more established grouping.

This takeover has resulted in violence, shootings and several arrests.

During the bail application of Visser and De Jager, prosecutor Adiel Jansen said conditions on which they would be released included that they should be prohibited from frequenting or going near any clubs or restaurants in Sea Point, Green Point, the Cape Town city centre, as well as a specific street in Bellville.

Visser, who in another court case was identified as Modack’s personal bodyguard, was granted R10 000 bail, while De Jager was granted bail of R5 000.

The State did not oppose their release from custody.

Visser, who briefly took to the witness stand during proceedings, said he had several health problems.

This included a heart attack and a stroke he suffered from afterwards. Visser said he also had high blood pressure and was on several forms of medication.

"I’ll get more sick," Visser said, when explaining what would happen if he remained in custody.

Visser and De Jager are expected back in court in March 2018. Visser is also at the centre of a separate court case relating to a firearm and the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.

This case is set to proceed in Bellville in February.

Visser and De Jager took to the dock on Wednesday after Modack and his four co-accused appeared for the extortion matter.

They were meant to apply for bail.

However, the presiding magistrate previously dealt with the bail application of another underworld security figure – Grant Veroni.

Veroni, director of the Bellville-based company Skhosana Maponyane Hall Phillips and Khumalo, trading as The Security Group (TSG), faced two charges relating to the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

During his bail application Sergeant Edward Edwardes, who is involved in police investigations of the underworld, testified about alleged crimes involving the nightclub security industry and key figures linked to it.

Edwardes had testified about Modack and Colin Booysen’s alleged involvement in this.

He said two factions were fighting to dominate nightclub security in the Western Cape.

Edwardes had testified that one faction, a new group, included Modack and Colin Booysen.

It, therefore, emerged in court on Wednesday that there could be potential conflict of interest if the same magistrate dealt with Modack’s bail application and that of his co-accused, as they had been mentioned in Veroni’s bail application.

The matter was rolled over until Thursday when Modack and his co-accused were expected to apply for bail.

When they were in the dock on Wednesday, several police officers were stationed around the courtroom. Several more were seated outside.

Major-Generals Jeremy Vearey, André Lincoln and Peter Jacobs were among the police officers present in court.

Each one has taken police management to court in unrelated matters.

Lincoln tried to sue the police minister for R15m for what he said was a malicious investigation and prosecution against him relating to Italian mafioso Vito Palazzolo. In October he was granted leave to appeal the dismissal of the R15m claim.

Vearey and Jacobs, supported by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), took a matter relating to their sudden June 2016 transfers within police, to the Cape Town Labour Court.

In August the court set aside their transfers, which they believed were demotions.

However, Jacobs and Vearey have not yet been transferred back to the positions they were previously in.

News24

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