George, Western Cape – Mark Lifman, a prominent Western Cape businessman with a controversial history and alleged links to underworld figures, was shot dead on Sunday in the parking lot of the Garden Route Mall. The brazen midday attack has left the community reeling and raised serious questions about the ongoing battles within the province’s underworld.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:30 am, according to Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut. Colonel Traut confirmed that police responded to a shooting incident outside the mall, where a 57-year-old man was found dead.
“The circumstances of the incident is now the subject of a police investigation, and more information cannot be disclosed at this stage,” he stated.
While the police have yet to officially release the victim’s identity, numerous sources have confirmed it was Lifman.
Images circulating on social media show a body covered by an emergency blanket behind a police cordon, a grim testament to the violence of the attack. The suspects, described as fleeing the scene in a white VW Polo with a CY registration number, remain at large. No arrests have yet been made.
Lifman was a well-known figure in the Western Cape, though his business dealings and associations were often shrouded in controversy. His name frequently appeared alongside those of other high-profile figures implicated in alleged underworld activities, including Jerome ‘Donkie’ Booysen and Nafiz Modack. His alleged involvement in gang networks and violent conflicts within Cape Town’s underworld had been the subject of intense scrutiny for many years.
He was facing a multitude of serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, money laundering, and gang-related offences. These charges stemmed from his alleged involvement in various underworld conflicts, most notably the murder of Brian Wainstein.
The State's case against Lifman, security company owner Andre Naude, and alleged Sexy Boys gang leader Jerome ‘Donkie’ Booysen, among others, alleged a conspiracy to murder Wainstein in August 2017 at his Constantia home. The prosecution argued that the murder was linked to disputes over property deals, with the alleged assistance of 27s gang members. Lifman was scheduled to appear in the Western Cape High Court on Monday to face these charges.
