Despite the absence of a heavily armed police contingent, the atmosphere during the bail application of one of South Africa’s feared alleged gang bosses and his wife was irrefutably intimidating.
Alleged 28s prison gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson went to great lengths to be released on bail at the Cape Town magistrate’s court on Monday.
Though the media was granted permission to photograph the couple, along with three co-accused in the dock, nobody was seen raising a camera or cellphone to do so. The presence of the couple’s supporters, inside and outside the courtroom, proved to be nerve-racking.
In high-profile cases, photographers often jostle for the best spot between the Cape Town Central police station and the court’s back entrance to photograph an accused before they are taken to the holding cells. But on Monday their supporters occupied that spot to salute and wave at police vehicles transporting the accused to court.
The bail application garnered significant attention, overshadowing other cases, including a protest related to a rape incident. Picketers held up placards accusing a 61-year-old man from Joe Slovo in Milnerton of sexually assaulting underage girls after luring them with pieces of sausage.
Stanfield, 44, wore a blue mask and Johnson, 36, wore a white one in the dock. They were arrested at their Constantia home on September 29 for the alleged theft of a BMW 3 series worth R326,202 from a security complex in Milnerton in November 2022. They were taken into custody with Johannes Abrahams, 48, and Denver Booysen, 43.
The couple face a further charge of fraud for allegedly pretending to a police officer they lawfully owned the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Stanfield, Abrahams and Booysen are accused of robbery and the alleged assault of the vehicle owner and taking a cellphone worth R1,225. The state has concealed the vehicle owner’s identity for security reasons.
Provincial police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said “upon a body search, the male was found to be in possession of an unlicensed firearm for which he was also charged”.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said on Sunday: “The appearance of Ralph Stanfield at Wynberg magistrate’s court has been postponed until October 13. It’s in relation to a shotgun found in his residence.”
During the bail application on Monday, the state added another suspect, Jose Brandt, and added an attempted murder charge to the indictment. Brandt also faces an extra charge: possession of an illegal firearm.
Stanfield and Johnson sought the expertise of highly experienced legal professionals to argue their case for bail. Advocate Laurance Hodes SC, who represented EFF leader Julius Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi when they were charged with assaulting a police officer at the funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 2018, represents Stanfield. Johnson is represented by advocate Ross McKernan from the Cape Bar.
A total of 19 people, including police officers, are charged in the case. They face 84 counts including corruption, fraud and forgery, illegal possession of ammunition and firearms and defeating the ends of justice
Both advocates handed in affidavits urging the court to release Stanfield and Johnson on bail. McKernan also submitted a report from a social worker.
Stanfield attached a letter from an accounting firm which said that he was “permanently employed by Glomix House Brokers ... and is earning R40,000 per month”.
In his affidavit, which Hodes presented to the court, Stanfield revealed he is from Mitchells Plain and disclosed that he left university before completing his degree.
“Having completed my matric, I enrolled at the University of Cape Town to study towards a BCom degree. Unfortunately there was insufficient money for me to complete my studies, so I was forced to seek employment. I then entered the business world and became an entrepreneur,” the affidavit reads.
“I am a businessman and earn my income from a variety of business ventures. My primary business interest is in construction. I earn a salary of R40,000 per month.”
According to the affidavit, Stanfield said his Constantia home was owned by a “company of which my wife is the sole shareholder and director”.
He said he has health challenges. “I have pressing issues with my health. I take daily medication to control my cholesterol and high blood pressure. Additionally, I was shot multiple times in 2017 and suffered serious wounds. I am still not fully recovered from the injuries I sustained in that shooting,” says the affidavit.
He also suffers from sleep apnoea (a disorder in which breathing frequently starts and stops) which required him to have a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Stanfield said he could not access one of these machines during his incarceration.
He said police had searched his home for two hours and the illegal firearm police found on his property belonged to his security guard and had nothing to do with him.
Johnson said, in an affidavit that McKernan presented to court, that she earned R97,000 monthly from various revenue streams, including rental income from her two companies, House of Israel and Glomix — a fuel station and a beauty shop.
She described having undergone an “emergency medical operation” a day before her arrest and alleged a nurse at the hospital section of Pollsmoor prison, where she is incarcerated, refused to change the dressing, insisting her doctor do it.
Johnson said she employed “numerous people, mostly women, in my business and most of them are the breadwinners for their families”.
“I am a senior person in all my businesses and solely responsible for the day-to-day running of the business,” reads her affidavit.
“I do not trust anyone to run the businesses and have not, as a result, empowered anyone to run the businesses. Without me, the business will fail. For example, the price of fuel increased on Wednesday October 3 and I am the only person in the business who can change the price of fuel at the pumps. It has not been done. Similarly, if the beauty salons do not pay rent, I will lose the franchise agreement and will have to close them immediately.”
Johnson said she also has health challenges: “I suffer from anaemia and low blood pressure. As a result, I have to take daily medication and follow a strict diet.
“I receive treatment for chronic tuberculosis (TB). I suffered scarring on my left lung from previously having had TB and was recently informed by the specialist that I have potential scarring on my right lung. I had an appointment for a scan to confirm this.”
Johnson added that she was pursuing legal studies through Unisa.
The bail application was postponed to Wednesday, after the state undertook to investigate whether Stanfield did not have access to a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnoea in prison and Johnson’s claim that a nurse had refused to attend to her.
The state said it had evidence indicating they may be misleading the court.
Stanfield, Johnson, Abrahams and Booysen are on trial in the Cape Town regional court. They were arrested in 2014 in connection with an alleged racket to provide fraudulent gun licences.
A total of 19 people, including police officers, are charged in the case. They face 84 counts including corruption, fraud and forgery, illegal possession of ammunition and firearms and defeating the ends of justice. They were out on a warning.
The case returns to court on December 13.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.