Two accused in Lifman murder case appear in court
The two men accused of the assassination of alleged underworld figure, Mark Lifman, will appear again in court next week for bail information and bail application.
Johannes Hendrik Jacobs and Gert Johannes Bezuidenhout appeared in the George Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed.
They are charged with premeditated murder of Lifman.
The matter was postponed to November 13.
Independent Media reported that the duo, who both work for a Cape Town-based security company, were caught driving a white VW Polo after they allegedly fired at Lifman at Garden Route Mall in the Southern Cape town of George on Sunday.
Lifman was reportedly ambushed by gunmen wielding assault rifles and the suspects fled the scene in a white VW Golf with fake licence plates.
Police spokesperson, Andrè Traut, said Jacobs and Bezuidenhout were initially taken in for questioning and then arrested for the murder of 57-year-old Lifman.
“The pair, aged 37 and 53, were apprehended near Uniondale on Sunday afternoon and the vehicle they were travelling in was also confiscated.
Their arrest follows a shooting incident that left the 57-year-old dead.
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. As a consequence, the pair was arrested a couple of hours later,” said Traut.
Lifman was arrested in December 2020 in connection with the August 2017 murder of Brian ‘Steroid King’ Wainstein and was to return to the dock on Monday facing a slew of criminal charges.
Earlier this year, Lifman’s co-accused and alleged underworld kingpin Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, denied they conspired or paid for the assassination of slain Wainstein.
Cape Times