Latest news with #RalphStanfield
News24
2 days ago
- General
- News24
The new Numbers game: Ralph Stanfield takes shortcut into 28s prison gang
Ralph Stanfield became the alleged head of the 28s street gang after the death of his uncle, Colin Stanfield, in 2004. After his arrest, Stanfield got a rapid induction into the 28s prison gang and became an initiated member, bypassing years of progression up the ranks. Stanfield faces multiple criminal charges. Ralph Stanfield, the alleged leader of the 28s street gang, has leveraged his criminal notoriety on the streets to achieve something exceptional in the South African prison system: rapid induction into the 28s prison gang. Stanfield was arrested in September 2023 and faces multiple criminal charges. During his incarceration, he has managed to bypass the customary years-long progression through the hierarchical structure of the Number - one of the world's oldest prison gang cultures - to become a ndota. The term - used to describe an initiated member of a prison numbers gang is derived from the isiZulu indoda, meaning a man. According to interviews with eight gang members, Stanfield's street credentials earned him this unprecedented position - a development that breaks with the deeply ritualised traditions of prison gang culture. Stanfield's swift ascendancy in the 28s prison gang represents the culmination of decades of erosion of once-sacred practices. It symbolises a fundamental shift in how power and status transfer between street and prison gang hierarchies in contemporary South Africa. The Number gangs have dominated South Africa's prisons for decades. The three groups - the 26s, 27s, and 28s - each have their own operations, beliefs and councils, known as parliaments, which sustain them as authorities within the prison system. The 26s are known as strategists and businessmen; the 27s are the enforcers of gang law; and the 28s are the advocates for better prison conditions. Their mythology dates back to the 19th century, with the apocryphal story of a wise man and two groups of bandits who established a criminal organisation to fight colonial exploitation. This symbolic legend provides an anchor point for the gangs and, before the transition to democracy, fed into their anti-apartheid ideological stance. For many prisoners, the Number provides an identity, a framework for masculinity, and a code to govern thoughts and actions. For some, it is an entire worldview. Traditional adherents of the Number do not see themselves as gangsters, but rather as law-makers, restoring order within the chaotic environment of the prison, albeit by violent means: attacking a prison warden, for example, is one of the rites of passage into the Number. As affiliation with the Number provides inmates with security and status, recruitment is highly selective. When they enter prison, potential members' personalities, physiques and lives are scrutinised by high-ranking ndotas. Inductees must align with the interests of their assigned camp. Becoming a member of the Number gang has historically involved a series of initiation rituals, an intimate understanding of the gang's history and mythology and a thorough knowledge of a set of commandments outlining the structures and organisational hierarchy, known as the twaalf punte (12 points). Recruits also spend time learning the covert communication system known as sabela. Sabela is a patois that includes elements of Afrikaans, English, isiZulu and isiXhosa, and has traditionally been used by the Number gangs as their own secret dialect. Finally, a separation between prison life and life on the streets has long been central to the ethos. 'The Number wasn't built for outside,' a former member of the 28s said. Various members interviewed agreed that the system was created to reign within the bounds of 'die vier hoeke [the four corners, which is a reference to prison walls]'. Upon entering prison, one's street gang identity, regardless of rank, was to be abandoned. However, this boundary between prison and street gang cultures has increasingly blurred in recent decades. Stanfield entered prison as the 28s street gang leader but was not an inducted 28s prison gang member. He had allegedly become the head of the 28s street gang after the death of his uncle, Colin Stanfield, in 2004. However, he was not a ndota. His sudden promotion during his incarceration can therefore be seen as a significant break with tradition, and the latest episode in a decades-long erosion of the ritualised processes that the Number gangs once entailed. The first major shift in the Number's rules and traditions began in the 1980s, coinciding with a massive rise in street gang activity as synthetic drugs such as mandrax (methaqualone) and ecstasy became ubiquitous. From the profits of these drug markets came increasingly professionalised gangs and wealthy gang leaders. First among these was Jackie Lonte, the boss of the Americans gang, who used his wealth to purchase his rank within the Number when he was imprisoned in the 1980s. This caused friction between the old order, which protested Lonte's coup, and a new order that embraced the development. In the years that followed, other gang bosses bought their way into the Number, opening the door to further changes. Gang customs, symbols and hostilities from the outside were imported into prison and vice versa, synergising South African prison and street gangsterism. READ | Fraud case not over for Stanfield, Booi and co despite provisional withdrawal – police In the 1990s, the new order within the Number began to gain influence, thanks to the financial backing of gang leaders with drug empires outside prison, while external political conditions, as South Africa entered democracy, threatened the old order. In post-apartheid South Africa, the Number's founding objective - to counter colonial exploitation through banditry - had become obsolete. Around the turn of the century, further changes were implemented. The new order within the 27s and 28s began to allow prisoners to be initiated while on remand, rather than only after being convicted and sentenced. This was partly in response to a massive influx of Americans gang members (who generally became 26s) following the gang's rise under the leadership of Lonte. In addition, by 2000, the entire top leadership of Pagad (People Against Gangsterism and Drugs), a militant vigilante group that used targeted violence to combat gangsterism, had been arrested. To counter the threat posed by Pagad within the prisons, Number recruitment was expanded. This shift was fiercely contested by the traditional order, who feared that on-remand prisoners who were not found guilty would leave prison before fully being initiated into the Number system. This risked the complexity of the Number system being inaccurately represented on the outside. As one former member of the 27s put it: 'The old guard of the Numbers were very adamant that you must not change the Number in any way … it must not be corrupted!' Some sources argued that these fears have been realised, that former on-remand prisoners have mischaracterised the Number after their release - 'one fucking idiot teaching another fucking idiot', as one member of the 28s put it - and that a simplified version of the Number has been exported to the streets. As one representative of the traditional order confirmed: [It] no longer signifies what it signified back in the day. Come 2000, the Number died down. Moreover, the entanglement of street and prison gangsterism led to the formation of Number street gangs - separate from their prison counterparts - and continued to soften the grip of the traditional order. The 28s, the gang that Stanfield allegedly leads, have been the most prominent of the three camps on the streets. By the 2010s, the 28s prison gang increasingly began to view the 28s street gang less as a separate organisation and more as a junior partner. South Africa's high recidivism rates reinforced this situation, as gang members cycled in and out of prison. When Stanfield stepped into this evolving environment upon his arrest in September 2023, he became a catalyst for further change. As the leader of the street 28s, he was able to exploit and formalise the connections that already existed between his street gang and prison 28s. Sources close to the 28s have argued that if Stanfield, a figure of respect and authority outside prison, lacked formal recognition inside, the internal balance of power would be disrupted. 'Obviously, it's not going to be good if the boss of all the 28s on the street does not have a rank with the 28s in prison,' one 28s member said. Stanfield's street status was therefore sufficient to elevate his prison status; he did not need millions of rand to purchase his rank, and he did not have to endure a violent recruitment. His case may be fairly unique, but his rise to ndota status suggests a further softening of the Number's rules. This new avenue to become part of the prison Number is also solid evidence of the current dominance of the gang's new order. As much as Stanfield's fast-track admission into the Number is a new development, it also speaks to a systemic shift away from a rigid tradition over time. The beneficiaries of illicit enterprises outside prison are reshaping the Numbers' mythological roots by means of their wealth and status, redefining what it means to be powerful in South Africa's underworld. The Number now finds itself in a transitional phase. It is still very much present and fundamental to the structure of everyday life in prison, but changes to its traditions - from the admission of on-remand prisoners to the sudden elevation of Stanfield - are becoming more common. Stanfield's situation is likely to have some effect on the relationship between the 28s street gang and its prison equivalent, but whether the two will align more closely remains unclear. However, the continued fragmentation of what was once a unifying system centred around resistance to colonial oppression threatens to cause tensions both on the streets and within the prisons of the Western Cape. Moreover, the synergy between street and prison gangsterism is likely to allow hostilities to spill over and be acted upon in both spaces. As a senior former 27s member puts it: 'This big divide between the … different factions of the Number causes trouble.' This article appears in the latest edition of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime's quarterly Western Cape Gang Monitor and is produced by its South Africa Organized Crime Observatory. The Global Initiative is a network of more than 500 experts on organised crime drawn from law enforcement, academia, conservation, technology, media, the private sector and development agencies. It publishes research and analysis on emerging criminal threats and works to develop innovative strategies to counter organised crime globally.
IOL News
7 days ago
- IOL News
Ralph Stanfield R1 billion housing tender fraud: Police vow investigation is still ative
Alleged leader of the 28s gang, Ralph Stanfield. Image: Willem Law/File Police in the Western Cape said their investigation into alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and others remains on course. This, despite the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) provisionally withdrawing commercial charges against the group on Friday, May 23. The charges related to a R1 billion housing tender fraud case. The group who saw the charges withdrawn included Stanfield, his wife, Nicole Johnson, former City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for human settlements Malusi Booi, and seven others. The scandal escalated during Booi's term in office, as accusations emerged that he, along with the Stanfields, had manipulated housing tenders to benefit companies under their influence. The allegations suggested a web of corruption aimed at misappropriating public funds intended for housing development. Malusi Booi appears in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers The Western Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said this is not uncommon in complex investigations for the direction of the investigation to change in recognition of new and additional information that emerges as part of the investigation. 'It is not uncommon in complex investigations for the direction of the investigation to change in recognition of new and additional information that emerges as part of the investigation. Even in this case, when the commercial crimes investigators became privy to new information, that had to be incorporated into the investigation. Suffice it to indicate that it is envisaged that the commercial charges provisionally withdrawn will be reinstated in due course,' Potelwa said. Police have assured that the charges being provisionally withdrawn in no way indicate a failure on the part of investigators. 'Rather, a change in direction, taking into account the legal framework within which, as a law enforcement agency, the SAPS is compelled to operate,' Potelwa said. Western Cape for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, explained why the charges were provisionally withdrawn. '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,' he said. [email protected] IOL Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Eyewitness News
24-05-2025
- Eyewitness News
Stanfield, Johnson supporters accuse State of unfairly prosecuting them
CAPE TOWN - Supporters of alleged gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson, have accused the State of unfairly prosecuting the pair. The couple is embroiled in a complex gang case with a long list of charges, including four murders. ALSO READ: The pair also faced several commercial crimes charges relating to an alleged tender fraud case of R1 billion within the City of Cape Town's human settlements directorate. Those charges against them and former Human Settlements MMC Malusi Booi and others have been provisionally withdrawn. A small group of protestors held a peaceful picket outside the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Friday, calling for the release of Stanfield and Johnson from prison.
The Herald
24-05-2025
- The Herald
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. TimesLIVE
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
What led to the withdrawal of R1 billion fraud charges against Malusi Booi and his co-accused?
The Cape Town Magistrate's Court provisionally withdrew charges related to a staggering R1 billion housing tender fraud case against former City of Cape Town human settlements Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), Malusi Booi, and nine co-accused. The decision comes alongside the withdrawal of charges against Ralph Stanfield, the alleged leader of the notorious 28s gang, and his wife, Nicole Stanfield. The scandal escalated during Booi's term in office, as accusations emerged that he, along with the Stanfields, had manipulated housing tenders to benefit companies under their influence. The allegations suggested a web of corruption aimed at misappropriating public funds intended for housing development. Meanwhile, the Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, explained that the charges were provisionally withdrawn because there was new evidence which has been discovered. "We took a decision that instead of asking for a postponement, we decided that the charges be provisionally withdrawn until the investigation gets finalised. Once the investigation has been finalised, the charges will be reinstated against the accused," he said.
