Alleged gang leader Jerome “Donkie” Booysen was arrested from his hospital bed on Wednesday last week but later released from Kuils River police station.
This comes after a shootout at Spur at the Soneike Mall in Kuils River that afternoon, around 3pm. Mr Booysen was having lunch with his family when the shootout began.
Mr Booysen was shot in his arm and it is believed he killed his attacker.
He was then taken to a Kuils River hospital for further treatment and at the hospital, Mr Booysen, his two children and some friends were arrested for carrying firearms and ammunition but were released from Kuils River SAPS the same night.
This was confirmed by Mr Booysen’s lawyer, Bruce Hendricks.
“His daughter arrived at hospital to get her father’s personal belongings when police asked to search her,” Mr Hendricks said.
“She had her father’s man bag with her and police then found a magazine with ammunition in it. They handcuffed her and held her in a separate room in the hospital.”
He said eight firearms were seized from the group.
“The seizure of the firearms can be confirmed, but the firearms were all legal and were handed back to the individuals.”
Mr Hendricks said no charges were made against his client and that “a statement surrounding the incident will be taken from him by police”.
This is said to be the sixth attempt on Mr Booysen’s life. In March, Mr Booysen came under attack in Beacon Valley, Mitchell’s Plain.
Last year, there were another four attempts on his life, including one at the Cape Town International Airport where he was shot four times.
The first attempt was in May, when he was shot in the neck in a drive-by shooting in Ravensmead.
In September there was a second attempt, a drive-by shooting in Bellville. Shooters shot at a car, they thought Mr Booysen was driving in, firing 50 shots and hitting the target 21 times.
A week later, after the incident at the airport in October, while Mr Booysen was recovering at a Bellville hospital, an assassin tried to end his life by injecting him with snake venom.
The suspect was later caught by Mr Booysen’s guards and charged with attempted murder.
Sergeant Liesel Beukes, of Kuils River police, confirmed the shootout at the Soneike Mall.
“One male was wounded and another male died at the scene. A murder case and attempted murder case is being investigated.”
– Daily Voice