Clockwise from left: 'Steroid King' Brian Wainstein, Andre Naude and the late Mark Lifman. Pictures: Interpol and Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais
The absence of Andre Naude, one of the high-profile suspects on trial for plotting the murder of “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein, halted proceedings at the Western Cape High Court yet again.
On Tuesday, the private security company Professional Protection Services (PPS) owner’s lawyer, Advocate Amanda Nel, handed the court a medical certificate saying that due to ill health, her client was not fit to appear in court.
The latest development comes after the towering former bouncer, who was reportedly a close associate of slain property tycoon and underworld kingpin Mark Lifman, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday.
Nel requested the name of the hospital not be mentioned in media reports due to concerns for Naude’s safety.
Judge Vincent Saldanha also asked that the nature of his condition not be published.
Yesterday morning [Monday], the state prosecutor, Advocate Mervyn Menigo, informed the court that the state’s key witness, Mr X, has been deemed medically unfit to proceed with the trial until 2 December.
Mr X has admitted to his role in Wainstein’s murder, for which he also faces charges, but could be exempted from these charges if he is found to have told the truth on the stand.
The court heard that the psychiatrist, who accessed Mr X, wrote in a report that he needs a month’s respite and treatment, with Lifman’s murder noted as a new “anxiety trigger point”.
On Tuesday, the court noted that the witness list had been reduced from 99 to 42.
Saldanha postponed the matter until Monday, 18 November, ending proceedings by saying:
The court simply reiterates to all of you: be safe and take care.
Naude is facing charges—along with his co-accused, which include the late Lifman and alleged Belhar Sexy Boys gang boss, Jerome “Donkie” Booysen—related to the murder of Wainstein.
The illegal steroid smuggler was shot in cold blood on 18 August 2017 while he was sound asleep next to his partner and two-year-old daughter at his luxury mansion in Constantia.
Naude and his 12 co-accused face a host of charges, including Brian Wainstein murder, conspiracy to commit murder, money laundering, conspiracy to incite people to public violence, possession of unlicenced firearms and corruption and obstruction of justice.
The state also alleges that on 19 November 2017, former 27s gangster Fabian Cupido and Lifman conspired to murder several members of Lifman’s alleged underworld rivals, including:
Lakay was shot and killed in August 2018 in his driveway in Goodwood.
Lifman died of multiple gunshot wounds to the face and chest while he was walking to his bakkie in the parking lot of the Garden Route Mall in George on 3 November.
The controversial businessman, dubbed the “Don of Sea Point,” was reportedly in George for a “meeting” and was on his way to play a game of golf at Fancourt when he was gunned down.
CCTV footage captured the well-orchestrated hit, showing a white VW Polo speeding away from the scene.
ALSO READ: Mark Lifman: Who is ‘Johnny Bacardi’ and what happened at James Small’s Café Caprice?
The suspects, identified as Johannes Jacobs and Gert “Johnny” Bezuidenhout, were apprehended shortly thereafter by police and local security teams near Uniondale.
It has been reported that Jacobs, the alleged shooter, and Bezuidenhout, the getaway driver, are both specialist security consultants connected to PPA Security.
Jacobs is a former member of the South African Police Service’s (Saps) elite Task Force Unit.
The duo were charged with murder and remanded in custody, with their next appearance scheduled for Wednesday, 13 November, for their bail hearing at the George Magistrate’s Court.
Following the brazen daylight assassination of Lifman, Naude shared with News24 that there had also been a half-baked attempt on his life.
He revealed that he was driving near Paarl on the N1 highway on Wednesday, 30 October when another vehicle pulled up alongside him, and the driver brandished a gun.
Naude drew his own weapon, and the assailants fled the scene.
He explained that he did not file a police report, as no shots were fired and the incident was deemed inconclusive.
ALSO READ: Mark Lifman and the dark underworld: Yuri the Russian, Cyril Beeka and the battle for ‘the doors’
There have been two former attempts on Naude’s life over the years.
This as Naude has reportedly been involved in the bitter battle for Cape Town’s lucrative nightclub security racket as a prominent figure in the so-called Lifman group’s “brotherhood”.
Lifman, Booysen and Naude became key figures in private security operations and extortion at nightclubs in the Cape Town CBD following the assassination of notorious security boss and state intelligence operative Cyril Beeka in 2011.
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