Gang Related
1Min
South Africa
Nov 26, 2025
Prosecutors told the Western Cape High Court that cell-phone pings, records and testimony from an accused-turned-state witness link Modack to the April 2020 attempt on attorney William Booth’s life. Evidence shows co-accused tracked Booth’s location at Modack’s direction before the shooting.
Prosecutors have drawn a tight circle around Nafiz Modack, arguing in the Western Cape High Court that cellphone pings, call records and sworn testimony from a former ally place him at the centre of the attempted murder of defence lawyer William Booth in April 2020. The State says the evidence shows a coordinated effort to track Booth’s movements, identify his patterns and execute a plan that Modack allegedly initiated and directed.
The case hinges on a series of “pings” carried out by co-accused Zane Kilian, who admitted under oath that he traced Booth’s cellphone repeatedly in the days before the shooting. According to the State, these location requests were not random; they were allegedly done at Modack’s instruction. Prosecutors also revealed a web of communication among Modack’s associates, including a bodyguard and other co-accused, who were allegedly in contact during key moments leading up to the attempted hit.
A former co-accused turned State witness delivered critical testimony, telling the court he acted as the getaway driver and directly implicating several individuals connected to Modack. This testimony, paired with the digital trail, forms the backbone of the prosecution’s narrative that the attack was organised rather than opportunistic.
Prosecutor Greg Wolmarans argued that the alignment of phone data, movement tracking and witness accounts paints a clear picture of command and control. He told the court the pattern is too specific to be explained away as coincidence, describing it as a coordinated structure with Modack at the helm.
Modack, however, insists that the State’s case is built on misinterpretation and manipulation. He maintains that he never ordered any tracking, denies knowledge of the plot and claims he is being targeted by rivals and compromised officials who want him removed.
Judge Robert Henney has pressed the prosecution to conclude its cross-examination efficiently while signalling that the court will treat the cellphone records and corroborated testimony as critical pieces of evidence. With 122 charges before the court and 14 co-accused also standing trial, the outcome has the potential to reshape the State’s battle against organised crime in the Western Cape.
