The two men arrested in connection with the premeditated murder of alleged Cape underworld figure and businessman Mark Lifman, have been named.
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Johannes Jacobs, 53, and Gert Johannes Bezuidenhout, 37, briefly appeared in the George Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
The killers are said to be ‘highly trained and registered to provide security services to high-profile business owners, including those linked to the underworld’.
Western Cape police confirmed that the duo were arrested and charged with Lifman’s murder outside the Garden Route Mall in George last Sunday morning.
He was 57.
The pair were apprehended near Uniondale on Sunday afternoon after fleeing the crime scene in a white VW Polo with a CAA registration number.
“After the suspects fled the crime scene, police, law enforcement officials, security companies and crime watch groups were activated to be on the lookout for the suspects in the region,” the police said in a statement.
No further information
As reported by The South African website, Lifman, an alleged Cape Town underworld kingpin, was shot dead in the parking lot at the Garden Route Mall in George around 11:30 on Sunday.
It is believed that Lifman was in the Garden Route town to play golf at Fancourt.
He was alone when he was shot, which was a rare occurrence as he always had heavily-armed bodyguards – often as many as five – with him when he moved around in public in Cape Town.
“The circumstance of the incident is now the subject of a police investigation, and more information cannot be disclosed at this stage. The victim’s identity is yet to be released by SAPS,” said police spokesman, Colonel Andre Traut.
Facing multiple charges
Mark Lifman was facing multiple serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, money laundering, and gang-related offences.
He was due to appear in Western Cape High Court on Monday, 4 November, along with 13 other suspects including the alleged leader of the Sexy Boys gang, Jerome ‘Donkie’ Booysen, for the murder trial of Brian Wainstein who was shot in his home in Constantia in 2017.
The trial has been postponed to next Monday.
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