Armed police officers raided the Cape Town headquarters of PPA Security on Thursday, seizing firearms and documents in connection with the investigation into the November murder of businessman Mark Lifman. The dawn operation involved multiple Anti-Gang Unit vehicles and masked tactical officers.
Police conducted the search at Professional Protection Alternatives (PPA) in Brooklyn business park on December 5. The company’s attorney Martin Hood confirmed the raid was linked to the Lifman murder investigation. “Police removed firearms for ballistic testing along with some statutory documents,” Hood said. “PPA has been cooperating fully with police and is not involved in the killing.”
Lifman was shot dead on November 3 in George, Western Cape. Police arrested two suspects – Johannes Jacobs and Gert Bezuidenhout – hours after the killing. While not PPA employees, both men had previously provided services to the company.
The security firm maintains a strong presence in Cape Town’s affluent Atlantic Seaboard area. According to previous reports, Lifman had claimed familiarity with PPA’s head Alwyn Landman through a failed business venture, though Landman denied any association.
Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie declined to provide details, stating only that it was “part of ongoing police investigation.”
The raid highlights broader concerns about the private security industry in the Western Cape, where authorities have long battled attempts to use security companies as fronts for criminal activities. Police previously identified Lifman as a former controller of nightclub security operations.
Cape Town has seen violent competition for control of nightclub security contracts. In 2017, a police investigator testified that some private security inspectors feared being killed if they investigated certain companies.
The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) acknowledges having just one inspector for every 200 security companies, limiting effective oversight of the industry.
Hood emphasized that PPA’s operations continue unaffected. “PPA is still fully open and rendering services,” he said.
