Dangerous déjà vu: Another Friday, another ‘gang shooting’ as organised crime grips Cape Town

11 Jun 2023

Last month, gang accused Jerome ‘Donkie’ Booysen’s son Joel was wounded in a shooting in Cape Town. There’s now been another incident with a nine-year-old boy among those hurt. The shootings have similarities and bleed into other organised crime matters gripping the city.

A nine-year-old boy was among three people wounded in a suspected gang shooting that took place on a Cape Town road last week – the same road on which security boss Cyril Beeka was murdered 12 years ago.

Daily Maverick understands, based on sources familiar with what happened, that relatives of Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, who faces drug- and murder-related charges in developing court cases, were targeted while in a vehicle along Robert Sobukwe Road, in Cape Town’s northern suburbs, on 9 June 2023.

High-calibre firearms were apparently used.

Last month, Daily Maverick reported that Booysen’s son Joel was also wounded in a shooting in the suburb of Green Point, which is closer to Cape Town’s city centre, on 5 May 2023.

A few days later, Booysen told the Daily Voice tabloid: “We know who it is. We know everything. This is just out of jealousy.”

Attempted triple murder

In the latest shooting on Friday, 9 June, Netwerk24 reported another of Booysen’s sons was targeted, which matches the information that relatives of his were shot at.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk said a case of attempted triple murder was under investigation.

He said the shooting happened in the Parow Industrial area in Cape Town.

“Three persons, a nine-year-old boy and two males aged 46 and 53, were injured during this incident,” Van Wyk confirmed.

“Circumstances surrounding this incident [are] under investigation. The motive for this incident is suspected to be gang related.”

The Anti-Gang Unit was assigned to investigate the shooting.

Repeat situation

In what may be coincidence, it just so happens that on both the days of those shootings – 5 May and 9 June – alleged organised crime kingpin Nafiz Modack appeared in the Western Cape High Court.

He appeared before a judge, along with co-accused, for pretrial proceedings.

Modack and 14 other men are accused of being involved in a string of crimes including the assassination of Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear, who was shot outside his Bishop Lavis home in Cape Town on 18 September 2020.

Kinnear had been investigating individuals, including Modack and fellow police officers, at the time of his murder.

Modack also faces charges relating to VAT fraud.

News24 reported that the pretrial proceedings of Modack and his 14 co-accused were expected to resume in the Western Cape High Court in August.

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In another case of coincidence, the shooting on Friday, 9 June, happened in the vicinity of nightclub security kingpin and rumoured intelligence agent Cyril Beeka’s assassination in March 2011.

Beeka was being driven along Robert Sobukwe Road when he was fatally shot.

Modack was an associate of Beeka’s.

During a court case in 2012, a Hawks officer had testified that Booysen was viewed as a suspect in Beeka’s murder.

Nothing ever came of that – Booysen was not charged in that case.

Booysen, Modack and Beeka were linked to nightclub security operations in Cape Town.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Ayepyep to State Capture – the Western Cape’s chronically converging gang and ‘security’ problems”

In a previous case in which Modack was accused, and later acquitted, of extortion-related charges, the State had alleged that Booysen and his associate Mark Lifman were among Modack’s rivals.

It was further alleged that the two groups of men they – Modack versus Booysen (and Lifman) – headed were fighting for the control of doorman at clubs.

Targeted

For his part, Booysen faces criminal charges relating to a Mandrax syndicate and in connection with the August 2017 assassination of steroid smuggler Brian Wainstein, who was also known as the Steroid King.

A few years ago, and up until around 2020, Booysen was wounded and targeted in several shootings.

In the case of his son, Joel, he has twice recently been targeted in shootings – the one that happened on 5 May and another at the end of March, when his vehicle was shot near the suburb of Belhar.

Joel was not hurt in the March incident.

Meanwhile, Booysen’s brother (Joel’s uncle) Colin Booysen was an accused in the extortion-related case with Modack that ended with their acquittals.

There was previously an attempt on Colin’s life. DM

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South Africa

Attempted triple murder

Repeat situation

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Targeted