Charges provisionally withdrawn against '28s gang boss' and ex housing MMC in R1bn housing tender case
The prosecution provisionally withdrew fraud charges on Friday against alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and former human settlements MMC Malusi Booi linked to R1bn worth of tenders related to housing in Cape Town.
Stanfield was charged with his wife Nicole Johnson, Booi, and several others.
The group was arrested in September and Booi was granted R250,000 bail.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said provincial director of public prosecutions advocate Nicollette Bell provisionally withdrew the charges 'pending the finalisation of an investigation on newfound evidence against them'.
'Advocate Bell also provisionally withdrew the charges against Suraya Manuel, Muhammed Amod, Randal Mullins, Brenda Mullins, Thuli Imgib, Nomvuyo Mnyaka, Lorna Ndoda, Siphokazi September, Kyle Stanfield, Barbara Johnson and Pakamisa Nondabula,' he said.
'Police discovered new evidence during their investigation, and it is apposite at this stage to provisionally withdraw the 16 commercial charges against the accused pending the finalisation of the investigation stemming from the newfound evidence. The state will reinstate the charges once the investigation has been finalised.'
Ntabazalila said Stanfield, Johnson, Johannes Abrahams, Denver Booysen, Jose Brandt, Jonathan Cloete, Shakeel Pelston, Imtiyaas Sedick, Warren Lee Dennis, Michael Morris, Chevonne McNabb, Sharazaadt Essop, Brandon Cornelius and Keithan Gardiner would be indicted in the high court in Cape Town for alleged gang-related offences including allegedly contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
Ntabazalila said this related to the murders of city official Wendy Kloppers, Rashied Staggie, William Stevens, Faizel Adams and Ismail Abrahams. Kloppers was shot at a housing development site in February 2023.
Staggie was an infamous gang boss. He was killed outside his Salt River home, in Cape Town, in 2019 shortly after his release from prison. His twin brother, Rashaad, with whom he founded the notorious Hard Livings gang, was killed on the same street more than 20 years ago.
'The court postponed the case against the remaining accused until July 14 to ensure the state has provided all further particulars to the defence before the case is transferred to the high court for a pretrial conference on November 7,' said Ntabazalila.
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