Alleged boss of The Firm, Ralph Stanfield, linked to murders in bloody feud with rival gangs

Ralph Stanfield and his alleged organised criminal group, The Firm, is accused of planning and carrying out five murders, including those of former Hard Livings gang boss Rashied Staggie, former City of Cape Town official Wendy Kloppers and 28s gang member William “Red” Stevens, who was one of the accused in the death of “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein.

They’re also accused of murdering Ismail Abrahams and Faizel Adams, who were both killed in September 2021 in Parow.

These murder counts are among 40 charges against Stanfield, his wife Nicole Johnson and 13 other accused, which build a tapestry of the gang violence that has infiltrated most of Cape Town’s notorious gangland areas.

The indictment and summary of substantial facts were presented before the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 14 July 2025. Seven members were in the dock while Stanfield, his wife and others appeared via video link.

According to the State’s court papers, Stanfield is allegedly the leader of The Firm, which fought against 27s prison gang associates, including Hard Livings, the Dixie Boys, Sexy Boys and Ghetto Kids. The areas where the continuous gang wars took place were Kraaifontein, Woodstock, Parow, Bellville, Belhar and Eerste River.

The Firm’s alleged reign of terror lasted from November 2019 to November 2023. It operated in Milnerton, Wynberg, Bishop Lavis, Kraaifontein, Parow, Somerset West, Belhar, Green Point, Kuils River and Blue Downs.

The State’s court papers say The Firm holds “positions of leadership and subservience” similar to the system inspired by the 28s “but not strictly adhered to the criminal gang in its activities and operations outside prison. Ralph Stanfield is the leader of the gang.”

In addition to Stanfield and his wife, the co-accused in the case include Johannes Abrahams, Denver Booysen, Jose Brandt, Jonathan Cloete, Abraham Wilson (deceased), Shakeel Pelston, Imtyaas Sedick, Warren Lee Dennis, Michael Morris, Chevonne McNabb, Sharazaadt Essop, Brandon Cornelius and Keathan Gardiner.

The charges include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, robbery, aiding and abetting criminal activity and contributing to a pattern of criminal gang activity in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.

Read more: Fraud charges against Malusi Booi, Ralph Stanfield in R1bn tender case dropped, for now

Meanwhile, in May 2025, the corruption case against former City of Cape Town councillor Malusi Booi, Stanfield, Stanfield’s wife Nicole Johnson and nine others was provisionally withdrawn on Friday, 23 May 2025. Booi, a former mayoral committee member, was arrested in September 2024 and faced charges relating to alleged unlawful tenders worth more than R1-billion.

Premeditated murders

Topping the list of charges was the murder of the infamous gang boss Staggie outside his home in the Cape Town suburb of Salt River on 13 December 2019. Staggie was sentenced to jail in 2003 after he was convicted of ordering the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl who had turned State witness against him. 

He was sentenced to 15 years for kidnapping and rape. He was then released on parole in 2013. In 2004, Staggie was also found guilty of robbing a weapons storage facility in Faure on the outskirts of Cape Town. However, these two sentences were served concurrently and Staggie was released in 2013 after spending 10 years in jail.

According to the summary of substantial facts, the State claims: “On the morning of Friday, 13 December 2019, the accused Cloete, Pelston and Essop allegedly proceeded to the deceased’s homestead in order to kill him as planned. Pelston and Essop armed themselves with firearms.

“Cloete allegedly drove his Ford Bakkie, Staggie was seated in a Toyota motor vehicle outside his home. Whilst Staggie was seated in the vehicle, Pelston and Essop approached Staggie and opened fire, fatally injuring the deceased.”

Staggie was a member of the 26s prison gang and leader of the Hard Livings gang in Manenberg.

Stevens, murdered on 2 February 2021, was one of the accused alongside the late Mark Liftman, the late Andre Naude, Jerome “Donkie” Booysen and others in connection with the 2017 murder of the global steroid smuggler, Wainstein. 

Read more: Underworld suspect shot dead – one week before scheduled court appearance in Cape Town for murder

Nearly four years later, the State claims The Firm members Cloete and Morris allegedly unlawfully and intentionally killed Stevens.

According to the summary of facts: “On the afternoon of Tuesday, 2 February 2021, the accused Cloete, Morris and others proceeded to the area of Stevens to allegedly kill him as planned.

“Morris and a person named Siya armed themselves with firearms, drove to Rembrandt Street. The deceased was seated in the street. Siya allegedly opened fire on the deceased from the vehicle. The driver stopped and Morris and Siya allegedly alighted from the vehicle and opened fire on Stevens. While shooting Stevens, they also shot a complainant and fled the scene.”

Stevens was a member of the 27s prison gang. Cloete, the leader of The Firm in Kraaifontein, resided in the same area. Stevens, along with Jerome Booysen, were charged for the murder of Wainstein, who was seen as close to Stanfield. Cloete and others are alleged to have conspired and killed Stevens as revenge for Wainstein’s murder.

City official Kloppers died in a hail of bullets in February 2023 at a housing development site in Delft. At the time Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis offered a reward of R100,000.

A week before her demise, two construction workers came close to death after gunmen opened fire on them at a building site in Delft. Both men were wounded in the attack.

Read more: Police hunt construction mafia killers after bullets fly at a Cape Flats building site

A breakthrough came in June 2024 when a suspect handed himself over to police and was charged with murder and attempted murder. Dennis, Morris and Essop are accused of murdering Kloppers.

According to the State’s court papers, Kloppers was murdered after Dennis, Morris and Essop, as well as Simon Stanfield and Ernest MacLaughlin, who are both deceased, allegedly decided and planned to kill any white person at the housing development site in Delft.

Stanfield and other alleged underworld figures were fighting to get their hands on the R400-million contract for the housing development.

On the day of the shooting, the State claims that Dennis drove with Simon Stanfield and MacLaughlin to Delft, followed by Morris and Essop in their car.

Morris is said to have proceeded to the development site and remained outside. The State further claims that Essop and another also proceeded to the development site in order to kill the white person as planned. Kloppers arrived at the housing site in her car, unaware that she was trapped and in peril.

“The driver in the motor vehicle in which Essop and another person was,  stopped and alighted from the vehicle. They approached the deceased and a security guard and opened fire,” the State contends.

Kloppers died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and the security guard sustained a gunshot wound to the right wrist.

The first pre-trial conference in the case is set to take place in the Western Cape High Court on 7 November 2025. DM