Lifman murder suspects return to court to contest bail denial
The two men accused of shooting and killing controversial Cape businessman Mark Lifman in a George parking lot are back in court for their latest bail application this week.
Johannes “Jakes” Jacobs and Gert “Johnny” Bezuidenhout appeared in the Western Cape High Court last week to challenge Magistrate Mashau Ramalebane’s decision to refuse them bail in the Thembalethu Regional Court on February 12.
The duo are accused of the murder of Lifman , who was gunned down in the parking area of the Garden Route Mall on Sunday, November 3, 2024.
The two men were arrested at a roadblock later that same day and have remained in custody ever since.
During the bail application, the defence argued, among other things, that developments in the case should be considered in determining whether they should now be released.
The State opposed the bid, hitting out at the defence for essentially presenting existing information as new evidence.
Jacobs and Bezuidenhout have had a previous bid for freedom go all the way to the Supreme Court of Appeal, only to be struck down.
The court also heard this week that the murder trial will be heard in the Circuit High Court in George. A trial date has not yet been set.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on iol.co.za — the content belongs to IOL.
