Kilian was told ‘pinging is legal’

THE man accused of tracking various targets for alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, claims he can obtain more information from a mother-in-law or an ex-wife than pinging a cellphone.

This was the testimony of Zane Kilian as he boldly took to the stand at the Western Cape High Court on Monday as the defence case commenced in the ongoing mammoth underworld trial.

The former rugby player, who was busted shortly after the murder of Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear, took to the witness stand to tell his side of the story after nearly five years.

Kilian, who is originally from Springs in Gauteng, told Judge Robert Henney that he operated as a debt collector and explained he started using the pinging system, known as the LAD platform, after meeting State witness Bradley Goldblatt.

Kilian says from the word go he was told that pinging of cellphones was legal, as Goldblatt had claimed there was a legal agreement between MTN and Vodacom to allow them to locate the nearest cellphone tower.

Kilian explained he was not aware that the system was illegal, as he had even pinged people at the request of police officers.

Questioned by Judge Henney about the difference between finding the closest cellphone tower and the exact location of a person, Kilian said those closest to a person could provide more information.

“You can find more information from an ex-wife or mother-in-law”, he said as chuckles were heard in the court room.

He will return to the stand today.