Mark Lifman murder suspects fail in high court bid for bail

An appeal to be released on bail by two men charged with the premeditated murder of businessman Mark Lifman has been rejected by the Western Cape High Court.

Johannes Hendrik Jacobs and Gert Johannes Bezuidenhout were arrested on November 3 last year and charged with the murder of Lifman outside the Garden Route Mall in George.

They applied for bail on January 16. Investigating officer Lt-Col Christiaan Daniel Dirk van Reenen opposed the application, providing a timeline showing Bezuidenhout obtained permits on October 29 for several firearms from Professional Protection Alternatives — a security company in Cape Town.

Two days later they booked into the African Sun Guest House in George. Lifman was shot dead in the mall parking lot on November 3. CCTV footage implicated a hatchback which was later stopped near De Vlugt in the direction towards Uniondale and the men were arrested with 9mm ammunition, wigs, black helmets, a roll of duct tape, cellphones, keys and a dashcam.

Police later seized firearms booked out to Bezuidenhout. They were denied bail on January 17 and appealed the decision in the high court.

Senior state attorney Evadne Kortje told the high court the gravity of the murder, using firearms in a public area, was serious and the state had a strong prima facie case. If released, she argued, they could try to influence or intimidate witnesses, conceal or destroy evidence.

“The court agreed and ruled that the appellants 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 which, in the interest of justice, permit their release on bail,” said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.

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