Cape Town – Mark Lifman, the slain underworld figure, received a private burial on Thursday, leaving close associates and even his legal team in the dark. The secretive nature of the funeral has sparked considerable speculation and disappointment amongst those who knew him.
Lifman, a 57-year-old businessman from Fresnaye, was gunned down on Sunday afternoon at the Garden Route Mall. The brazen attack, which occurred shortly after he finished a round of golf, immediately captured public attention. The swift arrest of Gert Bezuidenhout and Johannes Jacobs, apprehended near the mall parking lot shortly after the shooting, further fuelled public interest in the case.
The quiet funeral, however, has generated as much, if not more, intrigue than the murder itself. According to sources speaking to IOL, Lifman's close confidants, including prominent figures Jerome 'Donkie' Booysen and Andre Naude, were completely unaware of the burial arrangements.
“Absolutely nobody knew or was invited to his funeral. His two sisters came to identify his body in the week and on Thursday they just held a private ceremony without anyone knowing. Not even his closest friends like Donkie or Andre knew anything and they were very shocked and disappointed as they were not given the chance to say goodbye,” a source revealed to IOL.
The source further detailed the circumstances of the burial, stating, “Mark was unmarried and didn't have children and was laid to rest at the Jewish Cemetery in Pinelands alongside his parents' graves. Nobody knows why this decision was taken but it is understood that not even his legal team were invited to the funeral.”
Meanwhile, the legal proceedings related to Lifman's co-accused in the murder of Brian Wainstein are set to continue. The co-accused are scheduled to appear in the Western Cape High Court on Monday, where the state is expected to present Lifman's death certificate as evidence. This upcoming court appearance will likely shed further light on the circumstances surrounding Lifman's death and its implications for the ongoing Wainstein murder trial.
