--- title: "Prasa’s ‘well-known links’ to gang-accused Stanfield echoes SA cartel infiltration scandal" description: "AmaBhungane recently reported that evidence suggests Prasa’s security boss Alexio Papadopulo helped alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield ‘capture’ aspects of a multibillion-rand Cape Town railway project. Suspicions about this have done the rounds for years and now underpin South Africa’s unprecedented policing scandal." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "GANGS AND GOVERNMENT" author: "Caryn Dolley" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/caryn-dolley-for-amabhungane/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-12-prasas-well-known-links-to-gang-accused-stanfield-echo-sa-cartel-infiltration-scandal/" published: "2026-03-12T22:49:31" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1983 --- # Prasa’s ‘well-known links’ to gang-accused Stanfield echoes SA cartel infiltration scandal > AmaBhungane recently reported that evidence suggests Prasa’s security boss Alexio Papadopulo helped alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield ‘capture’ aspects of a multibillion-rand Cape Town railway project. Suspicions about this have done the rounds for years and now underpin South Africa’s unprecedented policing scandal. By Caryn Dolley · Published 13 March 2026, 00:49 SAST ## Key points - For years, there have been suspicions about South Africa’s rail agency, Prasa, and its potential connections to alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his criminally accused wife, Nicole Johnson. - Stanfield and Johnson were arrested in 2023 on various criminal charges. - AmaBhungane recently reported that evidence suggests Prasa’s security head helped Stanfield, before his arrest, secure lucrative contracts relating to a Cape Town railway project. - Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has called for implicated officials to be suspended pending an investigation. ## Content **UPDATE:** On Friday, 13 March 2026, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) issued an update on this matter saying it would institute an independent review into related allegations. A statement said: “Prasa notes the recent reporting regarding alleged irregular subcontracting arrangements connected to the Cape Town Central Line recovery project. The allegations are of a serious nature and Prasa does not take them lightly. “In the interest of transparency and public accountability, Prasa has decided to institute a formal, independent review of the matters raised and test the veracity of the allegations.” Prasa’s potential proximity to accused 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his criminally charged wife, Nicole Johnson, has for years sparked suspicions and accusations. Prasa must have been aware of this, if social media posts, along with past emails to the passenger rail agency (from this journalist included), are anything to go by. Yet it still hasn’t detailed to the public what exactly went down. Stanfield is accused of heading the 28s gang and the affiliated conglomerate The Firm. Over several years, he and Johnson have faced several criminal accusations, including the issuing of firearm licences they were not entitled to from allegedly corrupt police officers based in Pretoria. Those charges were withdrawn, and they now remain in custody for an ongoing case involving accusations ranging from car theft to murder. ### **Infiltration warnings** Suspicions about Prasa’s Cape Town operations and gangsterism have been doing the rounds since at least 2022. Coincidentally, this is the year a Western Cape high court judgment warned that evidence in a gangsterism case suggested that [the 28s gang had penetrated the province’s police](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-10-26-28s-gang-capture-top-western-cape-cops-prosecutors-lives-at-risk-judge-sounds-corruption-alarm/). This is a microcosm of democratic South Africa’s biggest law enforcement scandal that detonated last year when accusations were made that a drug cartel had infiltrated the country’s criminal justice system, politics and private security. [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHGQNB8rB_4) According to certain police officers, the cartel is known as the Big Five and operates under the umbrella of The Firm (the same name as the gang conglomerate that Stanfield is accused of heading). Some aspects of this national law enforcement scandal now extend to issues surrounding Stanfield and Johnson, and by extension, to Prasa. A years-in-the-making exposé by the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism has unpacked wide suspicions and evidence in this arena. [IN CASE YOU MISSED IT EXCLUSIVE: Alleged 28s gang boss ‘captured’ mega rail project – with Prasa’s ‘help’ March 8, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/HlVkesaMSwRbUVzXCk8Q1VA_TAs=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/1_Header_828784.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-08-exclusive-alleged-28s-gang-boss-captured-mega-rail-project-with-prasas-help/) On Sunday, 8 March 2026, it reported that Stanfield and Johnson “appear to have used Prasa’s security chief, Alexio Papadopulo, to capture chunks of the government’s multibillion-rand Cape Town Central Line presidential reconstruction project.” The Central Line is critical for commuters needing to get into the city. It runs through numerous stations and has needed substantial repairs because of vandalism and theft. ### **‘Classic extortion’ — or something else** According to amaBhungane, the Papadopulo and Stanfield situation could have resulted from “a classic extortion tactic”. “On the other hand, evidence shows that Papadopulo punted at least one company associated with Stanfield to assist Prasa in dealing ‘with the problems faced on the ground’ and ‘in keeping the peace’ on the railway,” the report said. Simply put, Papadopulo may have been coerced into associating with Stanfield, or he acted of his own accord, or a bit of both. Stanfield and Johnson’s legal representatives could not respond on their behalf to amaBhungane. > RALPH STANFIELD’S GRIP ON PRASA > > An explosive amaBhungane investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting that one of South Africa’s most notorious alleged gang bosses infiltrated a major state infrastructure project — with help from inside. > > The story centres on the… [pic.twitter.com/syn4lAFz88](https://t.co/syn4lAFz88) > > — amaBhungane (@amaBhungane) [March 8, 2026](https://twitter.com/amaBhungane/status/2030494321422549333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Neither Prasa nor Papadopulo responded to amaBhunage’s questions about the allegations and evidence it unpacked in its report. AmaBhunage said: “Instead, Prasa, responding also on behalf of its named employees, shifted blame for the involvement of Stanfield and Johnson in the project on to the Central Line’s contractors.” Reacting to amaBhungane’s exposé this week, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis [urged Prasa](https://www.capetown.gov.za/Media-and-news/Mayor%20calls%20on%20Prasa%20to%20act%20on%20alleged%20gang-links%20to%20central%20line%20contracts) to suspend implicated officials pending a full investigation. ![Prasa’s security boss Alexio Papadopulo. (Screengrab: Prasa promotional video / amaB)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/0B0oTf2eBWe9uYyMoO5pT6cLvec=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/Alexio2_784215.jpg) *Prasa’s security boss Alexio Papadopulo. (Screengrab: Prasa promotional video / amaB)* “The state must shut down all potential avenues of funding to gangsterism, and root out corrupt officials working with the underworld,” he said. Daily Maverick asked Prasa this week what it planned to do about allegations involving Stanfield, and for how long it had been aware of these. On Thursday, 12 March 2026, its spokesperson Andiswa Makanda responded: “We don’t have a comment at the moment.” ### **Assault rifle railway shooting** The backstory to this saga involves suspicions that surged in 2022 about the 28s gang, Prasa and its contractors. In August that year, a video did the rounds showing two gunmen firing into the air with assault rifles along railway tracks in Cape Town. [Daily Maverick reporte](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-30-gun-wielding-gangsters-target-prasa-derail-western-cape-train-line-repair-plans/)d at the time that there were strong suspicions that the gunmen were 28s gangsters and that the video had been sent to Prasa officials as a warning. > Gangsters in Bonteheuwel (Netreg station in the video) have been demanding "protection fees" from Prasa's subcontractors who are working to restore service to the Central Line. [pic.twitter.com/V7lFU34uCq](https://t.co/V7lFU34uCq) > > — Quinton Mtyala (@mtyala) [August 31, 2022](https://twitter.com/mtyala/status/1564855414445019137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) The theory was that the gangsters were deployed to scare off workers repairing damaged infrastructure because gang bosses were angry about the awarding of security contracts and jobs relating to that section of rail. Police were alerted to this incident. Prasa had said work there had been suspended because the situation was “volatile”. This suggests the gunmen forced Prasa’s hand – at least, this is the impression that was created. ### **Train tracks to entertainment** Aspects of this overall saga extend from train tracks to Cape Town and Johannesburg’s entertainment sector. Three months after the video of the gunmen on the train tracks in Cape Town surfaced, Oupa Sefoka, also known as DJ Sumbody, was [murdered in a Johannesburg shooting](https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/amapiano-producer-dj-sumbody-passes-away-20221120) in November 2022. He had been a co-founder of the Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge that had venues in Menlyn, Pretoria, and Cape Town. **Read more:**[Fear, violence and extortion in Cape Town — luxury venue Ayepyep closes amid claims of gangsterism and threats](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-08-16-fear-violence-and-extortion-in-cape-town-luxury-venue-ayepyep-closes-amid-claims-of-gangsterism-and-threats/) Sefoka’s name has surfaced in the national law enforcement scandal emanating from accusations that the Big Five has infiltrated policing, politics and private security. ![DJ Sumbody at the 25th annual South African Music Awards at Sun City on 1 June 2019. (Photo: Gallo Images / Lefty Shivambu)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/hngbnkOojW0ooocoWsWfb0I0HZw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Caryn-Cape-town-run-by-gangs-Inset-2.jpg) *DJ Sumbody at the 25th annual South African Music Awards at Sun City on 1 June 2019. (Photo: Gallo Images / Lefty Shivambu)* The Big Five allegedly operates in provinces including Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It was previously claimed that Sefoka’s killing was connected [to a R200-million cocaine consignment stolen](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-18-cops-killings-and-cocaine-aka-and-dj-sumbodys-murders-and-the-r200m-of-stolen-drugs-connected-to-sas-policing-scandal/) from a Hawks office in KwaZulu-Natal in November 2021. ### **Ayepyep and ‘all set for destruction’** Several months after Sefoka’s murder in Gauteng, the Cape Town Ayepyep venue was temporarily closed in August 2023. Daily Maverick reported that this happened after its co-owner at the time, Kagiso Setsetse, accused Stanfield and Johnson, its general manager, of trying to dominate the business. Among the accusations Setsetse made, and which Stanfield countered with claims of his own, was that Stanfield was involved with security at Ayepyep Cape Town. When the venue temporarily closed, posts on its Instagram account referred to Stanfield. One said, “SAVE AYEPYEP CPT FROM” Stanfield. ![prasa-gangs-caryn](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/KlcxN-jOyoQ-P1w-F6R_5DmJNGY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ThisimagewastemporarilydisplayedontheInstagramoftheAyepyepLifestyleLoungeinCapeTownin2023PictureSupplied_404419.jpeg) *This image was temporarily displayed on the Instagram page of the Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge in Cape Town in 2023. (Image: Supplied)* Another said, in part: “If a state-owned entity as large as Prasa can be extorted and no one is held accountable for these crimes, regardless of all evidence provided to law enforcement agencies, then it is evident that our country has lost all control of its systems and we are all set for destruction.” Around that time, another video surfaced, showing a man who looks like Stanfield apparently threatening someone on train tracks. ![prasa-gangs-caryn](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/r2PBMDRNp6eAmvzjbkPxdR3mpyA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ThisimagewastemporarilydisplayedontheInstagrampageoftheAyepyepLifestyleLoungeinCapeTownin2023PictureSupplied_202207.jpeg) *This image was temporarily displayed on the Instagram page of the Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge in Cape Town in 2023. (Image: Supplied)* These are among the previous indicators about something potentially amiss with Prasa’s operations. Ayepyep reopened when [a legal settlement](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-09-21-legal-settlement-cape-town-luxury-venue-ayepyep-to-reopen-after-gang-and-extortion-accusations-spat/) led to Setsetse selling his one-third share in the business. This resulted in half the business belonging to Stanfield’s mother-in-law, Barbara Johnson, and the other half to Sefoka’s family. It appears that Setsetse then left the country for safety reasons. The Instagram posts about Stanfield on the Ayepyep account were removed. ### **Arrests and mounting suspicions** Barely a month after the Ayepyep debacle, Stanfield and Johnson were arrested in September 2023 in what was initially a car theft case. The case grew, and for a while, former City of Cape Town DA human settlements mayoral committee member Malusi Booi faced accusations alongside the couple. He was accused of being involved in an alleged R1-billion tenders-for-cash enterprise, which the State accused Stanfield and Johnson of heading. ![Malusi Booi and nine of his co-accused during the bail application at Cape Town Magistrates Court on 17 September 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / ER Lombard)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/M3BmFDJMGLhJt8Sj14e6vn2K7PA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ED_520824.jpg) *Former City of Cape Town DA human settlements mayoral committee member Malusi Booi (left) and nine co-accused appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on 17 September 2024 in connection with an alleged R1-billion tenders-for-cash enterprise. (Photo: Gallo Images / ER Lombard)* The part of the case involving Booi has been provisionally withdrawn. In any event, by the time Stanfield and Johnson were arrested in September 2023, suspicions about their alleged reach into Prasa were mounting. The following month, based on information provided to me, I put several questions to Prasa. This again would have alerted Prasa to suspicions surrounding its operations. ### **Questions** At the time, in October 2023, Prasa did not officially respond to Daily Maverick’s queries (there were talks of a meeting to discuss the sensitivity of the questions in terms of security, but this never materialised). Now, amaBhungane’s years-long investigation has provided some clarity. The questions included whether: - Prasa had done work with/contracted/had business dealings with a company named Mzansi Securifire \[sic\]. AmaBhungane’s report said its evidence “indicates that, thanks to pressure from Papadopulo, Stanfield gained access to lucrative contracts awarded by Prasa to Mzansi Securi Fire”. - It had done work with/contracted/had business dealings with a company known as PPE. AmaBhungane’s report refers to a company, PPE Security and Projects, several times. It adds that PPE provided bodyguards for Stanfield and his family. - Prasa officials had meetings with Stanfield and/or Johnson in connection with Prasa security. AmaBhungane said Papadopulo met Johnson and an associate of the couple. [Read more Gun-wielding gangsters target Prasa, derail Western Cape train line repairs August 30, 2022 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/emeII36T0JI8RCPWnvk-P05MuSc=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/hjv.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-30-gun-wielding-gangsters-target-prasa-derail-western-cape-train-line-repair-plans/) Prasa’s response to amaBhungane, as published on Sunday, said the Central Line project happened in an “extraordinarily challenging environment characterised by high levels of crime as well as infrastructure theft. “In this context, engagement with a wide range of stakeholders was essential to ensure worker safety and project continuity. The mere fact of such engagement does not constitute impropriety.” ### **Fatal shootings and similarities** Regardless of whether Prasa officials or those it worked with displayed “impropriety”, the facts are clear – suspicions involving gangsterism and the state-owned entity have been doing the rounds for about four years. These suspicions have been circulating in South Africa’s gang violence capital, the Western Cape, where a judge has warned that evidence points to the 28s infiltrating the police. **Read more:**[Cape crime – another of 28s gang boss accused Ralph Stanfield’s cousins killed](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-12-18-cape-crime-another-of-28s-gang-boss-accused-ralph-stanfields-cousins-killed/) A limited snapshot of murders in this arena: - In 2023, an associate of Stanfield’s associate, Ernest McLaughlin, was murdered in a shooting. - About a fortnight later, Stanfield’s cousin Simon was fatally shot. - A few months later, in November 2023, another cousin of his, Noor Stephanus, was also killed in a shooting. - Yet another Stanfield cousin, Craig Stanfield, was fatally gunned down in December 2024. These murders have happened around the overall Prasa, Stanfield, and Johnson saga that involves issues tied to security companies, a government entity’s apparent proximity to people now accused of crimes, and gang suspicions. These are some of the elements in South Africa’s expanding law enforcement infiltration scandal. **DM**