Chaos erupted at a busy George shopping centre on Sunday when alleged Cape Town underworld kingpin Mark Lifman was gunned down in a late-morning ambush.
Lifman — who together with several co-accused was on trial in connection with the 2017 murder of “steroid kingpin” Brian Wainstein in Constantia — was due to appear in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said the shooting occurred at about 11.30am.
“Police responded to a shooting incident [on Sunday] morning outside the Garden Route Mall in George where a 57-year-old man was killed by unknown assailants who fled the scene,” Traut said.
“The circumstances of the incident are now the subject of a police investigation and more information cannot be disclosed at this stage.
“The identity of the victim is yet to be released by the SAPS.”
The Herald was told the suspects fled in a white VW Polo with a CY registration number.
At the scene on Sunday, the body of Lifman was already covered by a body bag.
It is understood he was shot in his face and that two men, believed to be from Russia, were arrested between Willowmore in the Eastern Cape and Uniondale in the Western Cape.
More information was not immediately available.
The former racehorse owner, who often found himself in the public eye over the years — often for the wrong reasons — was lying behind a blue double-cab bakkie in the parking lot.
Police tape was fastened to a trolley and a lamppost.
Lifman was arrested on December 22 2020 after handing himself over to the police.
In late 2023, he approached the high court in Cape Town, seeking to amend his bail conditions, particularly requesting the return of his passport so he could to explore business opportunities in Turkey, Dubai, China and Hong Kong.
The court heard that from 2004 to 2020, he had travelled abroad to arrange for the import of clothing or textiles, which he could only purchase after personally examining the ranges.
He was initially released on bail of R100,000 and ordered to surrender his passport.
A separate application to have his bail conditions changed was dismissed.
Recently, he lost another battle in his protracted fight to prevent the SA Revenue Service from recovering outstanding taxes of R352m.
HeraldLIVE
Suspected underworld boss Mark Lifman gunned down in George
Image: FILE
Chaos erupted at a busy George shopping centre on Sunday when alleged Cape Town underworld kingpin Mark Lifman was gunned down in a late-morning ambush.
Lifman — who together with several co-accused was on trial in connection with the 2017 murder of “steroid kingpin” Brian Wainstein in Constantia — was due to appear in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said the shooting occurred at about 11.30am.
“Police responded to a shooting incident [on Sunday] morning outside the Garden Route Mall in George where a 57-year-old man was killed by unknown assailants who fled the scene,” Traut said.
“The circumstances of the incident are now the subject of a police investigation and more information cannot be disclosed at this stage.
“The identity of the victim is yet to be released by the SAPS.”
The Herald was told the suspects fled in a white VW Polo with a CY registration number.
At the scene on Sunday, the body of Lifman was already covered by a body bag.
It is understood he was shot in his face and that two men, believed to be from Russia, were arrested between Willowmore in the Eastern Cape and Uniondale in the Western Cape.
More information was not immediately available.
The former racehorse owner, who often found himself in the public eye over the years — often for the wrong reasons — was lying behind a blue double-cab bakkie in the parking lot.
Police tape was fastened to a trolley and a lamppost.
Lifman was arrested on December 22 2020 after handing himself over to the police.
In late 2023, he approached the high court in Cape Town, seeking to amend his bail conditions, particularly requesting the return of his passport so he could to explore business opportunities in Turkey, Dubai, China and Hong Kong.
The court heard that from 2004 to 2020, he had travelled abroad to arrange for the import of clothing or textiles, which he could only purchase after personally examining the ranges.
He was initially released on bail of R100,000 and ordered to surrender his passport.
A separate application to have his bail conditions changed was dismissed.
Recently, he lost another battle in his protracted fight to prevent the SA Revenue Service from recovering outstanding taxes of R352m.
HeraldLIVE
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