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Extortion grips Cape Town: Businesses held ransom by organised crime-Published by Aiden Daries
Extortion has proliferated throughout South Africa, with numerous businesses falling prey to extortion gangs. A recent report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) delves into the extensive examination of four key extortion sectors: night-time extortion in CBDs, the construction mafia, township extortion and transport-related extortion.
Cape Town has emerged as the focal point of this troubling trend. Established in 2013, GI-TOC aims to combat organised crime globally by bolstering political commitment, generating evidence on criminal activities, disrupting criminal economies, and fostering resilient networks within affected communities.
As per the report, this form of extortion gained prominence in Cape Town’s CBD during the late 1990s, when underworld figure Cyril Beeka and his cohorts began focusing on the nightlife sector.
Beeka and his associates adhered to the traditional method of extortion termed as ‘protection racketeering’. This approach involves employing violence and intimidation to coerce businesses into paying for ‘protection’ and compelling them to utilise affiliated private security firms. Following Beeka’s assassination in a drive-by shooting in March 2011, a new figure, Mark Lifman, emerged, aiming to seize control of Beeka’s domain.
Lifman, accompanied by André Naudé, purported leader of the Sexy Boys gang, and Jerome ‘Donkie’ Booysen, along with his brother Colin Booysen, merged Beeka’s two security firms with another operated by Naudé. This amalgamation resulted in the establishment of Specialised Protection Services (SPS), which assumed responsibility for managing all club bouncers in Cape Town.
Nevertheless, the newfound alliance was brief. In 2016, a dispute erupted between Colin and an individual at Coco Bar on Loop Street, Cape Town. Court documents filed at the Western Cape High Court revealed that Colin accused his own brother of bringing 27s gang members, including alleged gang boss William ‘Red’ Stevens, to the altercation. This rift led to the dissolution of the brotherhood, with Colin opting to align himself with the rival of his former group, Nafiz Modack.
According to court documents, Modack and Colin initiated a hostile takeover of the clubs previously controlled by Lifman and Donkie. This rivalry has spawned numerous attempted murder plots over the years. Before he could stand trial, Red was allegedly assassinated. It’s reported that he offered his men to forcefully reclaim the clubs.
In 2017, Modack, Colin, Ashley Fields, Jacques Cronje, and Carl Lakay were apprehended. They were charged with eight counts of extortion and one count of intimidation for purportedly attempting to extort R369 000 from the Grand Africa Cafe and Beach near the V&A Waterfront. Allegedly, the group orchestrated a forceful takeover of Cape Town’s nightclub security sector, compelling club and restaurant owners to pay for protection through their company, TSG (The Security Group).
The extortion demand was subsequently lowered to R90 000. Tragically, Carl Lakay was murdered in August 2018 in the driveway of his Goodwood residence. However, in February 2020, the group was acquitted of all charges.
In December 2020, Lifman and Jerome Booysen found themselves under arrest and accused of the murder of international steroid smuggler Brian Wainstein. They were also implicated in a group charged under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca). Despite the charges, both alleged underworld figures pleaded not guilty.
In April 2021, Modack faced arrest in connection with another murder, that of SAPS Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear, who was fatally shot outside his Bishop Lavis residence in September 2020. Kinnear had been probing a gun racket allegedly involving Modack and high-ranking police officers.
Presently, Modack confronts an overwhelming tally of over 3 000 charges, spanning from murder to racketeering, with allegations including extortion, intimidation, abduction, money laundering, fraud and undermining the administration of justice, among others. The legal proceedings against both groups are ongoing in the Western Cape High Court.
The report emphasised the alarming escalation of the Cape Town construction mafia, which is known for its pervasive violence. Armed groups wield heavy weaponry, intimidate contractors, disrupt construction sites, and inflict damage. They are relentless in enforcing their demands, resorting to violence if met with resistance.
By February 2023, the grim toll of this extortion racket was evident, with ten murders attributed to construction-related extortion. Additionally, eight individuals sustained injuries in shooting incidents at construction sites. At least one of these murders is suspected to have been an assassination.
The situation reached a tragic climax on April 23, 2024, when two security guards lost their lives in Philippi. Allegedly, they were targeted by the construction mafia while escorting City of Cape Town personnel to a site in Phola Park.
The report additionally brought attention to Ralph Stanfield, the purported leader of the 28s gang, and his wife, Nicole Johnson. Stanfield is purported to have formulated his own variant of construction extortion and has seemingly risen as a significant figure in the extortion of infrastructure ventures.
According to the report, Stanfield entered the construction arena circa 2015, preceding the emergence of the construction mafia in Cape Town.
According to the report, there were allegations suggesting a network of companies associated with Ralph Stanfield and the 28s gang engaged in tendering for government contracts. As a result, the City of Cape Town blacklisted seven companies, including Boon Group, Glomix, NJ Diesel, and Globoon Joint Venture, which includes Glomix and Boon Group, among others.
It’s worth noting that Boon Group and Boon Africa share the same two directors. NJ Diesel Distributors is another company reportedly owned by Stanfield’s wife, Nicole Johnson, as per the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).
Both Stanfield and his wife have been in custody since their arrest in September 2023. The charges against them range from car theft to cell phone robbery and fraud.
The City of Cape Town oversees three main taxi associations: the Mitchells Plain Taxi Association, the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA), and the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA).
Unfortunately, over the past few years, tensions between CATA and CODETA have escalated, leading to significant bloodshed throughout the Cape metropole. Since 2020, numerous prominent taxi bosses and members of both associations have fallen victim to assassination.
According to the report, taxi associations across the country have been involved in extorting bus companies since the 2000s. This form of extortion intensified with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, particularly due to lockdown measures affecting long-distance routes.
Many residents of Cape Town maintain strong connections to the Eastern Cape, leading to significant vested interests among Cape Town taxi bosses in this particular route. Consequently, bus company owners and drivers operating along this route have become prime targets for violence, intimidation and attempted extortion.
In response to these challenges, coach carrier Intercape has taken legal action against top law enforcement officials, including Police Minister Bheki Cele. They are urging the authorities to take decisive action to safeguard long-distance coach passengers and prevent further violence.
Extortion has long served as a significant revenue stream for gangs operating on the Cape Flats. According to the GI-TOC report, gangs exert pressure on businesses within their territories, compelling them to pay protection fees.
These fees typically entail a fixed amount to be paid weekly, with the possibility of increases as dictated by the gangs. Extortion plays a pivotal role in the gangs’ control over their territory.
Cape Town has witnessed a notable uptick in incidents such as kidnappings and shootings involving shop owners on the Cape Flats and in the townships. Gangs use these violent acts as a means to intimidate both those who defy them and those contemplating defiance.
Police in the Western Cape disclosed that their top-priority suspect, Yanga Endrey Nyalara, was implicated in numerous murders, attempted murders, and extortion cases.
Nyalara was apprehended on 1 July 2022, in Bothasig, Cape Town. Currently detained, he awaits trial for his alleged involvement in two extortion-related mass shootings that occurred in May 2021 and May 2022.
Facing a staggering 31 charges, including 18 counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and various firearm-related offences, Nyalara also stands accused of drug-related crimes and violations under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
His arrest followed an extensive police manhunt, during which authorities offered a R100 000 reward for information leading to his capture.
According to IOL, police in the Eastern Cape were also pursuing Nyalara in connection with a cash-in-transit heist in Libode.
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