Court dismisses bail appeal of Mark Lifman's alleged assassins
Gert Bezuidenhout and Johannes Hendrik Jacobs loss their bail appeal.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
The men alleged to have gunned down controversial businessman and underworld kingpin, Mark Lifman, lost their bail appeal in the Western Cape High Court.
Johannes Hendrik Jacobs and Gert Johannes Bezuidenhout face charges of premeditated murder.
The duo were arrested in close proximity to the Garden Route Mall in George on November 3, 2024. Lifman was assassinated in the parking lot of the mall.
The alleged murderers made their first appearance on November 5, 2024, and applied for bail on January 16, 2025, which was done through affidavits.
Mark Lifman was gunned down in November last year.
Image: Leon Lestrade/Independent Newspapers
The investigating officer, Lieutenant Colonel Christiaan van Reenen, opposed their bail and provided a timeline that showed that on October 29, 2024, Bezuidenhout obtained permits for several firearms from Professional Protection Alternative Security, which were valid until November 3, 2024. Two days later, on October 31, 2024, the accused booked in at the African Sun Guest House, Geelhoutboom in George.
On November 3, 2024, Lifman was assassinated at about 11am in the parking lot of Garden Route Mall. CCTV footage implicated a hatchback which was later, now with a broken window, seen on CCTV travelling from the mall towards Redberry Farm, Geelhoutboom, where the number plates were changed.
The same vehicle with changed number plates is seen in the direction of Sedgefield and was later stopped near De Vlugt in the direction towards Uniondale. Police arrested the suspects and police seized ammunition (9mm rounds), three wigs, two black helmets, a roll of black duct tape, cellular phones, keys, a dashcam and other personal belongings. On December 4, 2024, police seized all firearms, including those that were booked out to Bezuidenhout, at the premises of PPA in Cape Town.
The State argued that circumstantial evidence was overwhelming against the accused.
Jacobs was identified as the driver, while the fingerprints lifted from the number plate was linked to Bezuidenhout.
The court denied the men bail on January 17, 2025.
On May 6, 2025, the legal representatives for the accused brought a bail appeal to the high court where they stated several instances where they believed the magistrate who made denied their bail made errors.
Senior State Prosecutor, Evadne Kortje, said the gravity of the murder, using firearms in a public area, is severe. The state has a strong prima facie case against the appellants. The applicable penalty for the charge of murder is life imprisonment.
She argued that their release would undermine or jeopardise the objectives or the proper functioning of the criminal justice system, including the relevant bail system. If released on bail, they would attempt to influence or intimidate witnesses or to conceal or destroy evidence. Kortje said they are aware of the identity of a crucial state witness. They know the crucial state witness's whereabouts, and the likelihood of intimidation exists. They have access to evidentiary material, whereby the firearm used in the commission of this crime has not been found or seized.
The court agreed and ruled that the accused failed to discharge their onus on a balance of probabilities. There were no persuasive factors that warranted interference with the findings of the magistrate, and no exceptional circumstances exist that, in the interest of justice, permit their release on bail.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the decision of the court.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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