Three hitmen allegedly hired by Ralph Stanfield have been busted for the assassination of slain 27s boss William ‘Red’ Stevens.
Shocking court documents have revealed that the trio from the Firm gang were also behind the attempted hit on the son of alleged Sexy Boys gang boss, Jerome ‘Donkie’ Booysen.
Jonathan Cloete, Abraham Wilson and Shakeel Pelston made their first appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday where they were charged with murder, attempted murder and firearm related charges.
The State is set to prove that Cloete fired the fatal shots on 2 February 2021 which led to the death of Stevens.
At the time, several sources pointed fingers at the 28s gang for the shooting outside Stevens’ Scottsville home.
Stevens, who was known for his full face of tattoos and affiliations with underworld personas, died after being shot nine times outside his home in Rembrandt Street before the gunmen fled the scene in a blue Hyundai.
His assassination came just a week before he was set to return to the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court alongside alleged underworld kingpin Mark Lifman and Donkie.
The trio was charged with the murder of Brian Wainstein, who was killed in his Constantia home in August 2017.
Documents presented at Cape Town Magistrate’s Court also implicate the trio in two attempted assassinations of Donkie’s son, Joel Booysen, who was shot and injured in Green Point in May last year.
Videos taken by shoppers at the Cape Quarter showing Joel with a gunshot wound went viral on social media, while Donkie warned that he knew the identity of the shooters.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice at the time, he confirmed that there had been an attempt on his son’s life two months prior as well and believed the motive was jealousy.
On Wednesday, Booysen said he was happy with the arrests and applauded cops for their hard work.
Donkie says: “I am very happy with the arrests. They killed more people, not only my friend and trying to shoot my son. You will still hear at court. The police are really doing good work.”
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, confirmed: “They have been charged with three murders, four attempted murders, dealing in drugs and numerous possession of firearm charges. The matter returns to court on 25 June 2024.”
It is understood that the trio will now appear alongside alleged 28s gang leader Ralph Stanfield, his wife Nicole Johnson and three others who are currently facing attempted murder charges for allegedly trying to kill a former employee of Stanfield.
monique.duval@inl.co.za