Cape Town – Moegamat Toufiek Brown alias “Bubbles”, 35, was arrested on Thursday by The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
According to the Hawks’ Colonel Katlego Mogale, Bubbles is the leader of the Terrible West Siders (TWS) gang and faces charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition and gang related charges in relation to the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
It is alleged Bubbles acted as the middle man in planning and orchestration of the attempted assassination of Booth on April 9, 2020.
Controversial businessman and alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack and Zane Killian, the man alleged to have been behind the murder plot against top cop Charl Kinnear who was gunned down in 2020, are on trial and face charges of attempted murder pertaining to Booth.
Brown will be added to the charge sheet.
The matter has been postponed for Bubbles to bring legal representation on record.
The case resumes on Monday, June 6.
Three others have been convicted and sentenced for their role in the crime.
Kauthar Brown, Bubbles’ wife, Ebrahim Deare and Riyaad Gasant pleaded guilty and were subsequently sentenced in April 2021.
All charges were withdrawn against the fourth accused, Kim Smith.
At the time Bubbles was in prison.
In their plea and sentencing agreement, the trio admitted to being members of the TWS gang, which actively operates within the Woodstock area where it has its headquarters. Operations were conducted from Brown’s house in the Woodstock area.
The trio revealed that the leader of the TWS, who is in prison, instructed Deare and Gasant via Brown to arrange a “hit” (murder) on Booth at his home. The court heard that the trio met and planned their hit.
Deare was set to be the hitman, while Brown provided the getaway vehicle to a State witness who was instructed to drop Deare and Gasant close to Booth’s home.
The getaway driver was to pick the two men up after the hit was concluded and return them to Woodstock. The court heard that Brown had provided Booth’s address.
On April 6, 2020, the pair were dropped off. They scouted out the area to ensure the hit would be successful, but they went to the wrong address and their “mission” was aborted.
On April 7, 2020, the pair went back to the area. Deare had smoked mandrax on the day and before anything could happen he fell into a hole, injuring his leg. He had to be taken to Groote Schuur Hospital for treatment.
On April 8, 2020, the duo went again, but nothing happened.
The court heard that later that night, the imprisoned gang leader contacted the duo as he had been growing impatient. They were instructed to carry out the murder the next day, April 9, 2020.
The pair were dropped close to the home of Booth. The men saw the lawyer enter his garage with his dogs. Deare, who was in possession of a fully loaded revolver, ran towards him and fired five shots with the intention of killing Booth.
The State witness told the court that the day after the shooting incident, Deare and Gasant went to Brown’s house, where she paid them for the hit on Booth.
IOL