Bouncer boss André Naudé survives 'attempted hit'

Alleged underworld figure André Naudé says he was targeted in an attempted hit in Durbanville, Cape Town, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Naudé told TimesLIVE he was leaving a restaurant with his son when a gunman fired several shots at him from a car in the parking lot.

"When I got into my car there was a car parked next to me and, for some reason, I heard this car's door opening on the other side, and then he took out a gun over the roof, and then he started shooting at me," said Naudé.

He said he ran around his bakkie while the suspect continued shooting at him.

"There was a [VW] Golf between me and them, and they shot up the Golf. And then they drove off," said Naudé.

He said no one was injured in the incident and praised the police for their rapid response.

Police spokesperson Sgt Noloyiso Rwexana confirmed that an attempted murder docket had been opened.

"According to information, an unknown suspect shot at a vehicle of a 49-year-old man while the complainant was inside the vehicle in a parking area. No injuries were reported. The suspect fled the scene. Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation, with no arrests yet," she said.

Naudé said he did not want to speculate about who was behind the attempt on his life.

He said when he was arrested on allegations of extortion in March, police confiscated his firearm.

"The police took my damn gun. The gun wasn't even mentioned in the case and I have to make an application at the high court to get it back. So, of course, the gangsters also know I don't have a gun. So that's why this happened, because they know I don't have a gun with me," he said.

Naudé is closely associated to alleged underworld boss Mark Lifman and alleged Sexy Boys gang boss Jerome "Donkie" Booysen.

A nightclub security racket, allegedly run by Lifman's group, was challenged by an opposing racket, allegedly headed by Nafiz Modack and Colin Booysen, Donkie's younger brother. The fight, which started in 2015, saw Modack and Booysen arrested for allegedly forcefully taking over security of clubs formerly controlled by Lifman.