The State has lifted the lid on the alleged criminal activities of so-called 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson, accusing them of embarking on a violent crime spree to recover R1 million allegedly owed to them.
The couple were outed at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday as the State read its affidavit into the record, accusing them of forcing their way into a residential complex in Milnerton and klapping an unsuspecting neighbour.
Shocking court documents revealed plans to kill a State witness who was hunted down by the duo, along with their co-accused Johannes Abrahams, Denver Booysen and Jose Brand.
The couple were busted by the Anti-Gang Unit more than a week ago in their Constantia home, and charged with theft of a motor vehicle, fraud and robbery.
Brand and Stanfield also face attempted murder charges. Brand abandoned his bail application.
The group was also charged under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca) and have been remanded in custody in Pollsmoor Prison.
Presenting the State’s case in the ongoing bail hearings, advocate Nathan Adriaanse read out statements dating back to November 2022, and even accused Johnson of telling the court liegstories to get out of the mang.
According to the documents, the main complainant against the couple was accused of owing them R1m.
The victim, who is a former employee of Stanfield, went on the run and hid his girlfriend’s black BMW 320i in a residential complex when he heard they were after it.
Ralph then allegedly went to the home of the father of the victim and made the dad drive around with him as he hunted his son.
The State claims that Johnson and Booysen later arrived and told Stanfield that the car was in Milnerton and they all went to the address.
The group tailgated their way into the complex when they were spotted by a neighbour, who allegedly called the victim and told him there were people in his parking bay.
The State alleges that Stanfield caught the neighbour and klapped him and took his cellphone. The group then allegedly beat the neighbour and returned his phone.
According to a statement by the security manager, Johnson told them that the owner had stolen R1m from them. The incident was captured in CCTV footage and the BMW was towed to Stanfield’s petrol station in Valhalla Park.
Johnson then allegedly told her husband to call a “Colonel Africa” as police arrived on the scene and cops allowed the couple to tow away the car.
It was also revealed that one of Stanfield’s own mense piemped his plans to murder the victim to police and outlined instructions allegedly given by the dik ding to his henchmen.
“Jy moet hom uitsnuffel. Daar is nie meer hoop vir hom nie, julle moet klaar maak met hom,” Stanfield allegedly said during a telephone call.
The witness also told cops that Stanfield instructed his henchmen to bring the victim to him when they found him so that he could “empty his gun on the victim’s head”.
The lengthy documents reveal that on September 7, the victim was spotted by a hitman allegedly working for Booysen, known as “Makop”.
He was shot multiple times but survived and after receiving medical treatment, went into hiding.
Adriaanse revealed that several months after the incident in Milnerton, Ralph allegedly ransacked the home of a Bishop Lavis vrou and stole her Toyota Fortuner because her berk allegedly owed him money.
Silence fell over the court when it was revealed that the woman went to Bishop Lavis police station where a senior cop, the aforementioned Colonel Africa, seemingly tried to talk her out of making a case against Stanfield.
“As jy nou ’n saak maak, jy weet mos wat gaan gebeur met jou en jou kinders,” he allegedly said.
The cop then called Simon Stanfield, the cousin of Ralph, who said the car was at his house, but the vehicle was never recovered, and was instead set alight.
Adriaanse also explained that cops investigated claims made by Johnson in her bail affidavit, that she was the only person able to change the petrol price at the filling station, but this was found to be untrue.
He said on Monday while the court adjourned for lunch, cops went to the petrol station and took pictures, proving the fuel price had been adjusted in line with the recent increase, despite Johnson being in the mang.
They also bought petrol and a till slip was used as proof in court.
Strangely, Adriaanse said shortly after announcing they would investigate her claims, the filling station was closed but the couple were unaware that cops had already obtained the evidence.
He also said that nurses at Pollsmoor Prison have denied that they failed to provide medical care to Johnson, saying instead that she had refused for them to attend “stitches on her breast”.
The bail hearings will resume next Tuesday.
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