Weekly wrap: Mark Lifman's unexpected demise prior to making court appearance

CAPE TOWN - The murder of alleged underworld figure Mark Lifman took the spotlight this week after he was shot dead in George on Sunday.

Lifman was due to appear in a high-profile trial related to the murder of "steroid king" Brian Wainstein in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.

On trial in the same matter are alleged underworld figures, Jerome "Donkie" Booysen and Andre Naude, along with 11 other co-accused.

Police arrested two men shortly after Lifman was shot dead in the parking lot of Garden Route Mall.

One of the suspects, Gert Johannes Bezuidenhout worked as a manager at Professional Protection Alternatives, a private security company directed by Lifman.

Bezuidenhout's co-accused Johannes Hendrik Jacobs is a former police Special Task Force member.

Booysen and Naude looked visibly sad when they appeared in court.

While Booysen declined to speak to the media, Naude had something to say, "If I say anything it's going to get me into trouble. We're helping the SAPS to do what needs to be done. There was a hit on my life last week. So ja, we'll see how it goes."    

Judge Vincent Saldanha postponed the matter to Monday, November 11 for the State and the defence to prepare for the trial to continue without Lifman.

Booysen and Naude's lawyer, advocate Amanda Nel told the court she needs time to relocate as she fears for her safety after Lifman's murder.

"My lord, it is regarding my housing. Where I would be located in preparation of obviously the rest of the matter without the network that we had, the protection," she told Judge Saldanha.  

In the courtroom next door, former Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) commander, General Andre Lincoln denied being part of a plot to kill alleged underworld gang boss Nafiz Modack on behalf of slain top cop Charl Kinnear.

Lincoln testified in the trial against Modack and 14 others, who face 122 charges for various crimes, including Kinnear's murder in September 2020.

Lincoln denied all allegations levelled against him by Modack's co-accused Yannick Adonis, who faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder related to three botched attacks on Kinnear in November 2019.

Adonis claims he was an AGU informant and had told Lincoln that Modack had put a hit on Kinnear.

The accused alleges Lincoln and Kinnear then hatched a plot to trap Modack by planning a botched grenade attack on his home.

Adonis says Kinnear's plan was to send AGU members to arrest Modack for the grenade attack and when he resisted, he would be shot dead.

Adonis' lawyer, Advocate Pieter Nel questioned Lincoln about allegedly giving Adonis a cellphone while he was in prison, but when Lincoln denied the allegation, Adonis stood up in court to accuse him of lying.

"You took an oath! You gave me the phone, it's in the statement. My lord, I will plead guilty to whatever... but please just tell the truth!"

Judge Robert Henney instructed Adonis to calm down and consult advocate Nel if he had any issues related to Lincoln's testimony.

Later in the week, nine police officers, including the former head of the Western Cape AGU were implicated in the murder of Kinnear.

The allegations stem from an Independent Police Investigative Directorate investigation (IPID) report related to Kinnear's murder.

IPID announced its decision to declassify the report after it was classified in 2022 to protect sensitive information related to witnesses and police officers who were yet to be charged.

Nine police officers — seven from the South African Police Service (SAPS) — and two from the Hawks — are implicated in the report.

Director of investigations for Ipid in the Western Cape, Mario September: "With regard to the SAPS members we will start with the most senior... is the former commander of the AGU."

September said two brigadiers, three captains and three warrant officers are also implicated in the report.

The names of the officers have been handed to the National Prosecuting Authority to consider for prosecution.

Kinnear's widow Nicolette Kinnear says she's disgusted the family were not informed about the briefing.

"To have the arrogance to say that it's more important for the nation to know before we as a family needs to know... I lost my husband. My children lost their father. How dare they say that the nation has a right to know before we do," she said.

Kinnear says she opened a culpable homicide docket against the nine police officers implicated in the report shortly before the document was classified.

"So I believe the document was classified to protect those nine officers," she said.

Kinnear said Ipid were forced to declassify the document after state witnesses provided evidence linked to the report in the trial related to her husband's murder.

"And now witnesses were on the bench or in the box and they were naming names and they were not perjuring themselves. So yet again the State was left with egg on their faces. They were humiliated because they tried to protect each other," Kinnear said.  

IPID said the report was declassified because information shared by witnesses is now in the public domain.

Meanwhile, in the Modack trial one of the alleged underworld gang boss' associates, Anwar Gallie told the court he took it upon himself to take over the security at Cape Town's nightclubs in 2017.

He told the court Lifman was in control of security at nightclubs in Cape Town at the time.

Gallie says he managed TSG security, which was owned by alleged gang leader, Colin Booysen, and Modack was a silent partner.

Gallie told the court in 2012 he joined Modack in forming a security company called Eagle V.I.P.

He said after the company closed down in 2017, two of Modack's properties were auctioned, but they already had identified a buyer.

Gallie said Lifman caused a dispute when he bought one of the properties and a confrontation ensued at a second auction, where Lifman threatened Gallie, who then took it upon himself to take over the security at Cape Town's night clubs.

He told the court it took him three days to take back the nightclubs' security from Lifman.

However, Modack's lawyer, advocate Bashier Sibda told the court his client played the main role in the takeover.

Gallie denied this, saying he did all the talking when they met with the club owners.

The trial continues.