Mark Lifman murder: legal expert impressed with investigation

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Legal expert Dr Llewelyn Curlewis attended the bail application of Mark Lifman murder accused Johannes Jacobs (53) and Gert Bezuidenhout (37) on Thursday 16 January.

The two men stand accused of gunning down Cape Town underworld figure Mark Lifman at the Garden Route Mall in November 2024.

Curlewis said he was there for two reasons.

One, partly as a lecturer at a university for whom it is important to be personally involved in high-profile matters to convey first-hand information and facts to his students, and secondly on matters relating to the potential creditors of the accused.

When asked about his view on the case, Curlewis said he had heard first-hand what was stated in opening affidavits during the bail application.

"I was very impressed with the investigative work of the police. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a bail application so thoroughly prepared. The magistrate was correct in finding that there is a prima facie case against the accused, and the state appears to have a strong case," he said.

He believes that it will be interesting to see what the defence’s strategy will be.

"At present, it seems they might be waiting to assess the strength of the state’s case. If the accused are indeed guilty, consideration may be given to a possible plea and sentencing agreement under Section 105a.

"However, this is something the state would need to initiate. It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds, as there are currently few indications of a possible acquittal on some of the charges," he said.

Fake number plates, wigs and a missing firearm

Days before Lifman was murdered, Bezuidenhout applied for three firearm permits through Professional Protection Alternatives (PPA), the company he was contracting for at that stage. The permits were valid from 29 October to 3 November and would have allowed him to possess rifles.

However, when Bezuidenhout and his co-accused were arrested in Uniondale hours after Lifman's assassination, no firearm was found in the vehicle.

The police only found two magazines and 9mm bullets, with no rifles when they searched the car.

Before the arrest the driver, Jacobs, had also received two traffic fines for driving without/or unable to produce, a valid driver's licence.

The murder weapon has not yet been found and police recently raided PPA's offices in Cape Town, seizing firearms that matched the permits. The weapons and the bullets found on the murder scene on Sunday 3 November, have been sent for ballistics testing.

Wigs, fake number plates and a bullet hole in the left passenger window, which was made from the inside, were also found in the white VW Polo in which the accused were arrested.

The state said the vehicle had fake number plates, of which one set was registered to a homeless man and another to an elderly couple from Stellenbosch.

According to the state, Jacobs was driving the vehicle with Bezuidenhout as his passenger at the time of their arrest. It is also alleged that they were captured on CCTV footage at a farm outside George, changing the licence plates of the VW Polo they were using and attempting to 'patch up' the broken window with duct tape.

Jacobs was reportedly behind the wheel again when they left the farm in Geelhoutboom.

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