The multi-million rand links between one of the men accused of murdering alleged underworld kingpin Mark Lifman and Cape Town security boss Alwyn Landman have come to light as the case heads back to court this week.
The Daily Voice can reveal that murder-accused Gert Johannes Bezuidenhout is a trustee on a multi-million rand property trust registered as the AL Familie Trust.
Landman, the owner of PPA Security, was thrust into the limelight last month after Lifman’s close friend, Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, publicly accused him of being behind the high-profile hit.
Lifman died in a hail of bullets at the Garden Route Mall in George on 3 November. Shortly after the shooting, which was captured on CCTV cameras, cops busted Bezuidenhout and Johannes Hendrik Jacobs.
Booysen claimed that Bezuidenhout who is also known as “Johnny” was the right-hand man of Landman.
At the time, PPA management explained that the duo had only done contract work for them, and denied any involvement in Lifman’s murder.
As the duo made their first appearance in the George Magistrates Court where they were charged with the premeditated murder of Lifman, various sources revealed shocking details behind the R10 million murder plot.
Photographs taken at the scene of their arrest showed the duo had a backpack containing female wigs and clothing and allegedly planned to dress up as women as they fled George. They were busted near Uniondale.
Last week, a raid by the Anti-Gang Unit at the PPA premises in Northgate Island sent tongues wagging as cops confiscated firearms.
On the same day, heavily-armed cops also raided the home of a PPA employee in Table View and shut down the road as they conducted their search.
Documents obtained by the Daily Voice show that Bezuidenhout and this PPA employee are both listed on the AL Familie Trust as trustees along with Landman and three others.
The documents also revealed that four properties are registered in the name of the trust in Dolphin Beach, Fresnaye and Constantia, worth over R20 million.
Landman’s lawyer, Martin Hood of MJ Hood and Associates, confirms his client is in Namibia, but says he did not flee the country and left over safety concerns due to the ongoing Brian Wainstein murder trial.
He states: “My client is in Namibia but did not flee due to the murder of Lifman. He left for his and his family's safety amid concerns about the trial as four accused, including Lifman, have been killed.
“I can confirm that my client is a shareholder of PPA and the PPA employee on the trust is a long-term friend.
“I cannot comment further on other trustees. PPA continues to work with Saps amid their ongoing investigation and Mr Landman has no connection to Mark Lifman.”
At the time of his death, Lifman was on trial alongside Booysen at the Western Cape High Court for the murder of Wainstein, who was shot and killed at his Constantia home in 2017.
Meanwhile Jacobs and Bezuidenhout will return to the George Magistrates Court on Thursday for the commencement of their bail hearings.
monique.duval@inl.co.za