Cape Town Underworld: The Rise and Fall of Mark Lifman
By Oliver Ngwenya 04-Nov-2024 18:55 UTC+02:00
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Cape Town’s criminal underworld lost one of its most notorious figures this Sunday when businessman Mark Lifman was shot dead outside the Garden Route Mall in George. Lifman, aged 57, was walking alone through the parking lot when gunmen targeted him in a brutal daylight attack. Sources confirmed that his body, covered in a light, silvery sheet, lay on the tarmac as forensic teams and law enforcement officials secured the area.
Lifman, a figure who consistently denied links to organized crime despite decades of accusations, had built a massive empire in Cape Town. His ventures spanned the fashion industry, horse racing, property markets, and the city’s volatile private security sector—an arena plagued by violent competition, extortion, and frequent clashes. His alleged criminal affiliations were broad, often rumored to intersect with Cape Town’s most infamous gangs.
Western Cape police issued a statement on Sunday, detailing that a 57-year-old man had been killed by unidentified attackers who promptly fled the scene. Although officials did not name Lifman directly, his age and circumstances closely matched the victim’s description. The suspects, aged 37 and 53, were later apprehended after a coordinated regional manhunt that included security companies, crime-watch groups, and law enforcement units working in tandem to track the getaway vehicle, a VW Polo, near Uniondale.
Dubbed “Steroid King,” Lifman was out on bail at the time of his death, facing trial for his alleged involvement in the 2017 murder of international steroid dealer Brian Wainstein. Wainstein, wanted in the United States and known for his extensive steroid distribution network, was killed in his Constantia home, shot while in bed. Lifman was expected in court this week alongside several co-accused in the Wainstein case, a high-profile proceeding now overshadowed by his violent end.
The saga of Mark Lifman’s entanglement with South Africa’s underworld has been marked by a pattern of violence. Lifman’s arrest in December 2020 for Wainstein’s murder brought him into a joint trial with Jerome “Donkie” Booysen and William “Red” Stevens. Stevens, a reputed 27s gang leader, was also killed before he could appear in court, shot in early 2021 just days before a scheduled appearance with Lifman and Booysen.
For years, Lifman’s name circulated among Cape Town’s most shadowed circles, despite his efforts to publicly distance himself from allegations. He had entered Cape Town’s nightclub security industry—an arena marked by brutal confrontations and allegations of systematic extortion—a sector as lucrative as it was fraught with bloodshed.
As investigations continue into Lifman’s murder, the case serves as a grim reminder of the deadly cycle that has entangled Cape Town’s criminal networks and the men who maneuver within them. Lifman’s story is one of ambition, controversy, and ultimately, a violent end befitting the brutal world he sought to master.
