Millionaire Sea Point businessman Mark Lifman has been granted bail after appearing in court.
|||Millionaire Sea Point businessman Mark Lifman has been granted bail after appearing in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday in connection with charges of contravening the Private Security Industry Regulations Act (PSIRA).
Lifman stands accused of being involved in running a security company between November and early this month without being registered to do so.
It is alleged that Lifman, together with co-owner André Naudé, directed Specialised Protection Services (SPS), which controls security at nearly 200 clubs around Cape Town.
Naudé, who appeared in the court on the same charges on February 10, is out on R1 000 bail.
At the time, magistrate Jasthree Steyn effectively shut down SPS because part of Naudé’s bail conditions was that he not contravene the PSIRA.
Thursday morning, prosecutor Nation Loliwe said the State was not opposed to Lifman’s release on bail on condition that he not contravene the PSIRA.
Lifman’s lawyer, William Booth, told the court his client had no previous convictions, no pending cases and no outstanding warrants. He had a fixed address and was not a flight risk, Booth said.
He said he would challenge the validity of the warrant issued for his arrest earlier this month and the search of his business premises in Sea Point.
Lifman is due back in court on March 23.
Meanwhile, the Goodwood man appointed as the new manager of SPS has been charged with intimidating a rival bouncer.
Samuel Richard van Zyl handed himself over to police on Wednesday and later appeared in Wynberg Magistrate’s Court. He was freed on R1 000 bail.
Van Zyl was elected by the bouncer industry to run SPS when the company was deemed to be operating illegally.
Recently, 13 bouncers working for SPS were arrested for contravening the PSIRA but were never charged. SPS is operating under the umbrella of another security company until it obtains legal permission to operate.
Last week Van Zyl allegedly got wind that a bouncer – fired from SPS – stationed at a lounge in Plumstead had approached another in Claremont to convince the bouncer to sign up with him.
The State alleges that Van Zyl approached the bouncer on Saturday and told him to stop what he was doing or he would “ensure that harm comes his way”, prosecutor Kagiso Kraai said.
Van Zyl is due back in court on March 16. - Cape Argus