Cape Town - Supporters stood firm outside the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday, calling for the release of alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack.
A group of supporters wearing masks which read “Modack Group” carried placards calling for his release. They claim that Modack’s arrest is a plot against him for all the good he does.
Modack appeared alongside Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) member Sergeant Ashley Tabisher on corruption charges on Monday.
Modack is separately charged with conspiracy to commit murder after a hand grenade was thrown at the Bishop Lavis home of former Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear months before his assassination last year.
Modack faces these charges alongside two co-accused, Amaal Jantjies and Janick Adonis, who were not present at court.
Modack’s supporters said it was “useless” having him behind bars as they called him a philanthropist who has been feeding the nation and who stepped up where the government had failed to step in.
Modack is known for feeding people from all walks of life, from the Cape Flats to Eldorado Park and Reiger Park in Gauteng.
He is also known for assisting masjids and madressas (Muslim schools) with funding and food, as well as for running soup kitchens across the country.
Standing directly opposite the court, supporters said it was unfair that after almost two weeks of detention, Modack was yet to bring forth a bail application.
One of the supporters outside court, Safia Mohamed Allie, from Pretoria, said she and everyone else had come out to support Modack and to seek clarification as to why he has not received bail yet.
“It doesn’t make sense. You find others getting bail on the same day. Yet, Nafiz doesn’t get bail. The law should be equal to all and not just to certain people and not those just pulled out from a group,” she said.
A Facebook page called “Free Nafiz Modack” has been gaining traction and has more than 200 members.
Allie said people need Modack.
“There’s people out here that need Nafiz. If the government can’t see that… It’s very unfair, there are not only 50 or 500 people that depend on Nafiz but there is a complete nation.
“We are asking the government to listen to us. They need to understand that people depend on this man. It's not as if he is only doing it from now, he has been doing it for years,” Allie said.
She said it was of no use detaining Modack as he could not help people in that position.
Other supporters could also be heard pleading, stating that the holy month of Ramadaan was coming to an end and Eid ul-Fitr was on their doorstep and families had nothing to eat. They claimed Modack would also be assisting in that regard. Eid ul-Fitr is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadaan.
As Modack was being taken away in a police Nyala amid a heavy police presence, supporters could be heard calling out to him while onlookers peered through the fencing to catch a glimpse of him.
As he was escorted away from the court, a vehicle pulled up with two 100-litre pots of akni that was dished up for the crowd, while party packets were distributed to children in the area.
African News Agency (ANA)