Following the 2024 murder of organized crime accused Mark Lifman, stories spread that he was linked to tensions in the mining industry, an area where recent friction involved former Gupta associates. Now, it has emerged that Liffman, through an alleged threat from a mining man, is basically linked to the South African law enforcement bust.
Complaints of bullying and a high-profile arrest have recently rocked South Africa's mining sector.
Now, the name of Mark Lifman, accused of crime who was killed in Cape Town, has emerged in the region, linking it to the country's shocking law enforcement scandal.
Liffman was synonymous with suspicion of organized crime in South Africa, had extensive troubles with the taxman and was believed to play a key role in the battle for nightclub security dominance.
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On Monday, 30 March 2026, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala's business partner Mike van Wyk confirmed to Daily Maverick that he knew Lifeman.
Matlala is at the center of the law enforcement explosion, and Van Wyk's association with Lifeman adds further layers to the scandal.
Van Wyk said he knew Liffman through the security industry in which both he and Liffman were involved.
'He protected me'
Van Wyk said, “When I was threatened by a miner, he protected me one hundred percent.”
“When he heard (about the threat), he jumped up and said, 'No one is going to touch you.' He was a fair man.”
According to Van Wyk, this happened about four years ago (which means about two years before Liffman's murder, and while Liffman was facing criminal charges).
Van Wyk declined to give details…