Alleged Cape Town gang boss and wife cite medical conditions, school-going children as they ask for bail

Alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and wife Nicole Johnson concealed their faces as they appeared in the Cape Town magistrate's court on Monday in hopes of securing  bail.

Stanfield, 44, said he wants to be released on bail as he suffers from high blood pressure and sleep apnoea (a disorder in which breathing frequently starts and stops) which requires him to have a continuous positive airway pressure machine. This, he said, is not available at Pollsmoor prison where he is being held.

Johnson, 36, who is recovering from surgery a day before her arrest at their R7.5m Constantia home, said a nurse at the prison refused to assist with dressing her post-surgical wounds.

Johnson is also a franchise partner of two Sorbet Man grooming bar shops and a fuels retailer of MBT Petroleum. 

Besides her medical condition, she wants to be released on bail as she is the only one with access to the companies' bank accounts and needs to go to work to change the fuel prices at the pumps.

The couple have a son, 17, and daughter, 15, they would like to get home to as it is in the best interest of their children's school progress, especially as their son is in his final year of school and has been offered opportunities to study abroad.

Given that new information was presented in court, the state wants to investigate the medical circumstances of Stanfield and Johnson in prison.

Defence lawyer Ross McKernan said “the state failed the court on the merits of the matter” and “the grounds on which bail was opposed”.

The state wanted to add charges after providing two opportunities for the defence to obtain affidavits from the accused. The court heard that because the affidavits contain new information that was not made available to the state at the first court appearance, they need to investigate as they contain serious allegations.

The Sunday Times reported the charges of intimidation and extortion arise from the theft of a BMW from a security complex in Milnerton in November last year.

Stanfield and two others are also accused of stealing the car owner’s cellphone.

The case as been postponed to October 11.

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