No bail for Lifman murder accused as high court affirms strong evidence against them

Daily Maverick

14-05-2025

The two men accused of murdering alleged underworld figure Mark Lifman will remain in custody until the trial is completed after their appeal against their bail refusal was denied.
The Western Cape Division of the High Court has rejected murder-accused Johannes Jacobs and Gert Bezuidenhout's appeal bid for bail in the Mark Lifman murder case.
Jacobs and Bezuidenhout, who are charged with Lifman's assassination, were denied bail by the George Magistrate's Court in January 2025. They took the matter on appeal, which was heard before Judge Nomfundo Sipunzi on Thursday, 8 May 2025.
Dismissing their appeal, Judge Sipunzi stated on Tuesday, 13 May: 'There are no persuasive factors that warrant interference with the findings of the magistrate, and no exceptional circumstances exist which in the interest of justice permit their release on bail.'
The charges of murder against the two accused stem from their arrest on 3 November 2024, relating to the murder of Lifman on the same day.
Lifman, 57, is believed to have been set up by his alleged killers and was gunned down outside a shopping mall in George, Western Cape.
At the time of his demise, Lifman was out on R100,000 bail and was the main accused in the murder of 'Steroid King' Brian Wainstein.
Michael Hellens SC, who represents the accused, argued that the magistrate erred in finding that the accused had failed to prove exceptional circumstances justifying their release on bail. He also disputed the finding that the State had a strong case against the pair.
State advocate Evadne Kortje, however, said the accused failed to show any real grounds that the magistrate's court had exercised its discretion wrongly.
Judge Sipunzi referred to an affidavit by investigating officer Lieutenant-Colonel Christiaan van Reenen, which played an important role in the magistrate's court's decision not to grant bail to Bezuidenhout and Jacobs.
Both accused provided services to Professional Protection Alternatives, better known as PPA Security or PPA.
The timeline from Van Reenen's affidavit leading up to the alleged assassination shows:
On 29 October 2024, Bezuidenhout obtained permits valid to 3 November 2024 from PPA for several firearms.
On 31 October 2024, the two accused booked in at the African Sun Guest House, Geelhoutboom, George.
On 3 November 2024, Lifman was killed at Garden Route Mall at about 11am, and from the CCTV footage, a vehicle, a VW Polo, was implicated.
Also on 3 November 2024, the VW Polo, now with a broken window, was seen on CCTV travelling from the Garden Route towards Redberry Farm, Geelhoutboom, where the number plates were changed.
Furthermore, on 3 November 2024, the same VW Polo with changed number plates was seen moving in the direction of Sedgefield, and later the vehicle was stopped near De Vlugt in the direction towards Uniondale.
The accused were then arrested with items that included 9mm rounds, three wigs, two black helmets, a roll of black duct tape, cellphones and a dashcam.
On 4 December 2024, the police seized all firearms, including those that were supposed to be booked out to Bezuidenhout at the premises of PPA, Cape Town.
Jacobs is allegedly linked as the driver of the vehicle, while fingerprint identification on the changed number plate on the VW Polo links Bezuidenhout.
Judge Sipunzi suggested that the State had a strong case, and due to the nature of the evidence the court had made the correct decision in denying Jacobs and Bezuidenhout bail.
'When regard is had to the evidence, the graphic detail of the amount of factual and scientific evidence that had been gathered at the time of the bail application, I cannot fault the finding of the court. The State possesses a strong case or prima facie case for the purpose of trial,' Sipunzi's judgment reads.
She said that due to the serious nature of the offence, the likelihood of imprisonment and possible lengthy prison sentences, the accused may want to evade law enforcement if released.
The murder trial has been transferred to the George Regional Court, with proceedings scheduled to begin on 1 July 2025. DM