Mark Lifman, a prominent businessman and suspected underworld figure in Cape Town, was assassinated in a parking lot at the Garden Route Mall in George on Sunday, 3 November 2024.
Summary:
- Cape Town businessman and alleged underworld figure Mark Lifman was shot dead in George on Sunday.
- Lifman’s death comes ahead of his scheduled court appearance in connection to the murder of “steroid king” Brian Wainstein.
- Police have launched an investigation into the murder, with no arrests made yet.
Mark Lifman murder: Here’s what we know so far
According to Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel André Traut, authorities responded to the shooting around 11:30, finding Lifman dead after he was attacked by unknown assailants who quickly fled the scene.
By Sunday evening, police confirmed that no arrests had been made as investigations continued.
Images circulated on social media show the crime scene cordoned off, with emergency responders covering Lifman’s body.
His death marks a significant development in the Cape Town underworld, where he was due to stand trial in the Western Cape High Court on Monday in connection with the high-profile Brian Wainstein murder case.
He was due to appear in court on Monday
Lifman was facing multiple charges, including murder, conspiracy to murder, and violations of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
His case was intertwined with the 2017 murder of Brian Wainstein, widely known as the “steroid king,” who was shot dead in his home in Constantia.
Lifman, along with alleged Sexy Boys gang leader Jerome Booysen and other suspects, was arrested in 2020 in connection with Wainstein’s murder.
Lifman had requested multiple times to have his passport returned to travel abroad, citing business opportunities in Turkey and Dubai, but his requests were consistently denied by the court.
The State argued that Lifman might exploit these travel permissions to evade prosecution, especially given the challenges in extraditing his co-accused, Kishor Naidoo, from Turkey.
Judge James Lekhuleni, in denying Lifman’s request, pointed out the serious nature of the charges against him, stating that a potential life sentence might tempt him to abscond.
