Alleged Cape underworld figure Nafiz Modack has been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for corruption, with three years suspended for a period of five years. The ruling, handed down by the Cape Town Regional Court, means Modack will serve seven years of direct imprisonment.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court also declared Modack unfit to possess a firearm, further curtailing his influence within Cape Town’s underworld networks.
Modack’s conviction stems from his corrupt dealings with former senior police officer, Brigadier Kolindren Govender, who admitted guilt earlier this year. Govender was accused of shielding Modack from criminal investigation by obstructing police cooperation in a probe linked to one of Modack’s luxury vehicles.
According to Hawks spokesperson Siyabulela Vukubi, Modack paid Govender R146,000 in return for protection and preferential treatment.
“Govender prevented cooperation between an officer from the SAPS Paarl vehicle identification section and the investigating officer in a matter based at Cape Town Central SAPS,” Vukubi explained. “As a result, the Mercedes-Benz, which belonged to Modack, was never seized, even though it was central to the investigation.”
Govender was handed a five-year sentence, of which four and a half years were suspended, after pleading guilty to being in a corrupt relationship with Modack.
The corruption case is only one strand of Modack’s growing legal troubles. He is currently standing trial for alleged tax evasion, as well as a separate, high-profile case in which he faces 122 charges, including racketeering, extortion, intimidation, and attempted murder.
The National Prosecuting Authority has described Modack’s cases as “significant in dismantling organised criminal enterprises” in the Western Cape.