‘If I had gone to the police, I would have been a dead man.’
This was the spine chilling confession of the driver who admitted to transporting the hitman sent to murder criminal attorney William Booth.
The driver who is currently in witness protection can only be identified as ‘Mr D’.
Testifying via an online platform at the Western Cape High Court, he told Judge Robert Henney that he was well acquainted with the alleged members of the Terrible West Siders gang who are on trial alongside alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack, and alleged TWS leader Moegamat Toufiek ‘Bubbles’ Brown.
They face charges linked to the botched hit on Booth and the murder of a Hawks detective’s father, Nicholaas Heerschap.
Mr D said upon the instruction of Bubbles’ wife, Kauthar, he met with Modack’s alleged middle man, Ziyaad Poole, who took him to Lansdowne to collect a white Hyundai Creta for the shooting.
He believed they were trying to burgle a house and claimed he only became aware of the plans to shoot Booth after the third trip to the Higgovale area.
He said while standing at a filling station with Kauthar’s sister, Kashiefa, cops pounced on him.
“I will never forget it because it was boeber aand (15th of Ramadaan) and I was buying milk. The police did not know I was the driver, I chose to tell the truth. If I had gone to the police, I would have been a dead man. They assaulted me before for something I didn’t do and I had to get stitches.”
He identified Poole’s wife as the woman who gave Kauthar money after the shooting.
But during cross examination, attorney Nazeer Parkar told the court that Poole believed the money was related to business dealing between the two women involving the sale of entjies in the lockdown, and not the shooting.
Bubbles also denied ever placing a call to the hitmen while in prison but Mr D insisted he heard the call.
The trial continues.
Mahira Duval
www.dailyvoice.co.za
