Latest news with #Lifman
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Murdered Andre Naude's own words — ‘I've got a gun on my waist and a bulletproof car'
Cape Town murder plot accused Andre Naude operated among several individuals who were suspected of crimes — and who went on to be assassinated. He previously claimed this arena was 'not cowboys and crooks', but his own murder now suggests otherwise. About 13 years ago a burly man sat in a restaurant just outside Cape Town's city centre — he faced the entry points of the establishment as a security measure to watch who approached it. Facing the windows and doors, this man, Andre Naude, spoke about how he and some associates, including his close ally Mark Lifman, were involved in a new security operation focused on nightclubs. 'We're not part of any underworld gangs,' Naude claimed at the time. 'We run a clean operation.' 'I've got a gun on my waist' Naude also said that certain individuals, who believed nightclub security could be dominated through eliminating rivals in the industry, put him at risk. 'It's because of people like… (that) that I've got a security guard outside my house, a gun on my waist and a bulletproof car,' he claimed. 'It's not cowboys and crooks any more.' But Naude's murder, on Thursday, 12 June 2025, suggests otherwise — that he operated with, and among, wannabe cowboys and very real crooks. Naude was gunned down and a second man wounded in a shooting in Cape Town's northern suburbs on Thursday afternoon. The police are investigating. While it was never proven and Naude was not convicted for it, there were suspicions he was involved with the 27s gang and that this angered the 28s gang, which is hellbent on dominating the Western Cape's internationally connected drug trade. There are also long-running suspicions that rogue intelligence agents with ties to politicians and police officers secretly direct gangsters, and that fights among these hidden figures spill over onto the streets and produce violence, including shootings, that plays out in public. Naude's killing comes about seven months after Lifman was assassinated in the Western Cape Town of George. At the time of their murders the duo, along with several other accused including their associate Jerome 'Donkie' Booysen, were on trial for the August 2017 assassination of international steroid smuggler Brian Wainstein, also known as the Steroid King. They denied involvement. Wainstein was suspected of being aligned to the 28s gang — and he and Lifman did not see eye to eye. Naude and Lifman are now among five accused in the Wainstein murder case to have been murdered. Merger after murder This journalist initially interviewed Naude in early 2012, the year after the assassination of organised crime suspect and rumoured apartheid state operative Cyril Beeka, who had dominated nightclub security operations in Cape Town's city centre. Beeka had run a security outfit in Cape Town in the 1990s, and some police officers maintained it was an extortion racket linked to the Italian Mafia. Police investigators had also accused Beeka of using mobs of men to force his 'security' services on establishments. Naude, during the 2012 interview at which a second journalist was also present, explained how certain bouncer operations were merged after Beeka's 2011 killing. That merger produced a security company that Hawks officers promptly shut down over allegations that it was not registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority. This culminated in Naude and Lifman facing criminal charges. They were later, in 2015, cleared in that case and countered that certain police officers had maliciously targeted them. A while after that saga, nightclub security issues in Cape Town started heating up again. Proxies and suicide bomb claims This led to me again meeting Naude for an interview in November 2016 at another restaurant outside Cape Town's city centre. Naude had claimed an individual from another country — a proxy for an intelligence service of that country — was among those stoking issues in the city. (This individual does not seem to have been arrested in South Africa.) During that interview with Naude, a group of men was seated at a nearby table. Among them was Wainstein — who went on to be assassinated in 2017, a crime for which Naude was among those charged. In June 2017 I again interviewed Naude in person. He made stronger claims this time that the individual from another country — 'he's funded by terrorists' — was smuggling heroin into nightclubs and that suicide bombers would potentially target Cape Town. Naude claimed he had alerted certain police officers about this. While the name of the individual he referenced later cropped up on the periphery of related court issues, Naude's full claims could not be substantiated. At the end of that 2017 interview, Naude said he planned to meet Rashied Staggie, the former head of the Hard Livings gang, to discuss some issues. (Staggie was murdered in Cape Town two years later, in 2019, and 28s gang boss suspect Ralph Stanfield is now accused in connection with that killing.) 'Rivals' Daily Maverick has before reported extensively on what happened in 2017 in relation to nightclub security in Cape Town. Suspected organised crime kingpin Nafiz Modack, who had known Cyril Beeka and seemed to have been aligned with him, allegedly tried to seize control of bouncer operations in the city from Naude, Lifman and their associates. According to police investigators and what surfaced in court cases, clashes between the so-called 'Modack group' and the 'Lifman group' sparked violence in Cape Town from 2017 onwards. Modack was arrested and then acquitted for security service-related matters. He was subsequently rearrested for other crimes and is now in custody and on trial for the murder of policeman Charl Kinnear in Cape Town in September 2020. Gangs and dead ends This journalist's book The Enforcers – Inside Cape Town's Deadly Nightclub Battles provides in-depth detail on how suspicions of criminality in bouncer operations have evolved. It also focuses on gangs, as well as several individuals who have since been murdered or accused of murder. A section references how there was an apparent rift between Jerome Booysen, who was previously accused of heading the Sexy Boys gang (he has not been convicted of this), and his brother Colin, which saw Colin aligning himself with Modack. According to The Enforcers: 'This manoeuvre is what apparently caused fractures within the Sexy Boys — if gangland folklore is to be believed, several members of the gang backed Colin Booysen, leaving Jerome Booysen and the Sexy Boys who stayed with him to pair up with the 27s gang. 'This, according to the unverified tale, is how the two nightclub security factions came to be aligned to two different gangs.' In simpler terms and while not verified, it appeared that Modack and Colin Booysen had Sexy Boys gang support, while their alleged rivals including Booysen and his associates had 27s gang ties. On top of that, Wainstein was viewed as having sided with the 28s gang, which angered the 27s. Somewhat reinforcing these theories is that among those also charged in connection with Wainstein's murder — alongside Naude, Lifman and Booysen — was William 'Red' Stevens, reputed to have been one of the most seasoned 27s gangsters in the Western Cape. In 2021, about a week before he was set to appear in court for the Wainstein murder case, Stevens was shot dead in the Cape Town suburb of Kraaifontein. This means a suspected 27s gang boss, who was facing charges for the murder of Wainstein who was believed to have paired up with the 28s gang, was killed. At face value, this implies deadly fighting between the two gangs — fighting that may persist. DM
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Alleged underworld kingpin Andre Naudé shot dead in Parow
Naudé was on trial for the murder of steroid king Brian Wainstein along with alleged underworld figures Jerome 'Donkie' Booysen and Mark lifman. Crime scene experts and the anti-Gang Unit detectives are investigating a case of murder and three attempted murders after alleged underworld figure Andre Naudé was shot dead in Cape Town. It is understood that Naudé, who was previously targeted in shootings and expressed concerns about his safety, was killed in Parow on Thursday afternoon. Shooting Police spokesperson Captain Frederick Van Wyk said officers combed the scene after the shooting. 'According to reports from the scene, at approximately 14:40 on Voortrekker Road, a vehicle pulled up next to the deceased, who was in the company of friends, and the occupants of the vehicle fired several shots. ALSO READ: Was Mark Lifman worth R10m? Alleged hitmen to apply for bail in December 'As a consequence, a 55-year-old man was killed and a 61-year-old man was wounded. Two other males aged 45 and 54 escaped injury,' Van Wyk said. Motive Van Wyk said the wounded victim was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and is under police guard. He said the motive for the shooting incident is the subject of the police investigation. 'A case of murder and three attempted murders were opened for investigation. No arrests have been effected yet. 'Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Karl Jooste on 071 300 5029 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111,' Van Wyk said. ALSO READ: Brian Wainstein's murder trial takes a hit: Lifman associate Andre Naude in hospital Murder trial Naudé was on trial for the murder of steroid king Brian Wainstein, along with alleged underworld figures Jerome 'Donkie' Booysen and Mark Lifman. Lifman was gunned down seven months ago in the parking lot at the Garden Route Mall on 3 November 2024. Lifman murder 'Donkie' Booysen, another business partner of Lifman and Naudé, arrived on the scene afterwards. Naudé and 'Donkie' Booysen had attended the court proceedings of the two men accused of Lifman's murder, Johannes Jacobs and Gert 'Johnny' Bezuidenhout. The duo are charged with the premeditated murder of Lifman, alleged to have been a ringleader of the city's nightclub security extortion racket. Lifman was gunned down while he was on trial – and out on R100 000 bail – for the murder of Wainstein. ALSO READ: Police probe multiple murders after three bodies found in Tshepisong veld
Daily Maverick
14-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
No bail for Lifman murder accused as high court affirms strong evidence against them
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
