Mark Lifman charges dropped after two nights in custody

Alleged Cape Town mafioso Mark Lifman was released from police custody after charges against him were dropped on Friday.

While his lawyer‚ William Booth‚ finalised Lifman’s release from Bellville Magistrate’s Court‚ outside court heavily armed guards from Titanium Securitas were confronted by plain-clothed men claiming to be police officers and asked to produce their gun licences.

One of the men could be heard tasking someone to “send traffic police” to remove a convoy of vehicles waiting for Lifman.

When Lifman’s associate‚ bouncer boss André Naudé‚ approached one of the men to ask what was going on‚ he was told to back off.

The men also took pictures and videos of people outside court believed to be connected to Lifman.

Booth said the charges of pointing of a firearm‚ which were laid by alleged extortion boss Nafiz Modack‚ were “illegal”.

When Lifman emerged‚ he got into the passenger seat of a black Mercedes SUV.

Lifman was arrested at Cape Town International Airport on Wednesday after he arrived back in South Africa from Europe. He was charged with pointing a firearm during an incident in March last year.

Modack is fighting for bail in a case connected to a conflict between two security groups trying take control of Cape Town’s nightclubs. One group is controlled by Modack‚ the more established one by Lifman. The two groups have been fighting over turf since March last year and numerous people have been injured or killed in attacks on nightclubs.