Cape Town – Sources close to Jerome “Donkie” Booysen believe he was the target of a hit carried out by an opposing 26s gang boss.
Booysen, a suspected leader of the Sexy Boys and 26s, was shot in the neck in an alleged drive-by attack in Eureka Estate, Ravensmead on Monday night.
The 52-year-old is in a critical condition in a private hospital, where he and his family are said to be guarded by up to 12 guards.
Just hours earlier, Terence Williams, 51, a man believed to be Booysen’s head guard, was killed in a shooting in nearby Connaught Estate.
Three others were wounded in the same shooting.
It is feared the attacks will spark an all-out war within the ranks of the Cape Flats gang underworld.
A source close to Booysen told the Daily Voice “Donkie” was visiting Ravensmead and walking back to his car when he came under attack at 7.15pm in 40th Street, Eureka Estate.
It is believed his shooters arrived in three cars and opened fire, spraying his black BMW X6 with bullets.
Bullet holes in Booysen's BMW X6 which was parked in 40th Street, Eureka Estate, Ravensmead. Picture: Leon Knipe
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed both shootings.
“Circumstances surrounding a shooting incident at about 7.15pm in 40th Street, Eureka Estate, Ravensmead, where a 52-year-old man was injured are under investigation. An attempted murder case was opened for investigation. Investigations continue,” he said.
Williams is said to have been driving a “Bentley that Booysen usually drives” when he was killed, suggesting that Booysen was the intended target.
Van Wyk added: “Circumstances surrounding a shooting incident this afternoon in 47th Street, Connaught Estate, Ravensmead, where a 51-year-old man was fatally wounded and three others, aged 43 to 49 injured, are under investigation. A murder and attempted murder case was registered for investigation.”
The source told the Daily Voice the attack was the third attempt on Booysen’s life.
He adds that “the hit was planned by an opposing 26 gang leader and a quick retaliation is expected”.
“[Booysen] is stable and feeling much better, asking to go home where he can heal better. But as soon as he is out, the heads of the houses will meet and a retaliation is on the cards. The Booysens will not allow this to go unpunished,” he said.
The source close to the family says Booysen’s condition is “up and down”, but he remains in good spirits. But the family remains concerned about his safety.
“There is a heavy guard duty all over the hospital’s premises. Men at the gate, at the door, at the elevators and inside his private room,” he added.
“Even family members have been allocated extra security.”
The past few weeks have seen several leaders of the underworld shot or killed.
It has been reported that the killings were linked to a nightclub and underworld protection rackets.
Three years ago, Booysen himself was named in court as being part of Specialised Protection Services, which at that point had provided security to 156 entertainment venues in the Western Cape with 258 bouncers.
Former security bosses Andre Naude and Mark Liffman. File picture: Phando Jikelo/ANA Pictures
The company was deregistered because it was not a member of the statutory body regulating private security, and businessman Mark Liffman and former SPS boss Andre Naude, close associates of Booysen’s, were later acquitted on 313 counts, including contravention of the private security regulatory act.
It has also been reported that rival gang leaders are seeking to take control of the lucrative club scene in Cape Town.
Sources reveal to the Daily Voice, however, that the attack on Booysen is as a result of “infighting”.
“It’s about who is allowed to rule in which area, how much power the Booysens actually wield within their gang, the Sexy Boys, 26s gang; and a takeover is apparently on the cards to put the family out of power,” says the insider.