Cape Town - Murder accused Colin Booysen is set to stay in prison for the duration of his trial. His bail application was denied by the Bellville Regional Court this week.

Booysen, the younger brother of alleged Sexy Boys gang boss Jerome “Donkie” Booysen, returned to court alongside Sillico Oliphant, Moegamat Faizel Abrahams, Herbert Zoutman, Prince Khumalo and John Edward Smith on various charges.

The State has charged Booysen with the murder of Marwaan “Dinky” Desai from Mitchells Plain, who was killed alongside his henchman, Shameem Mohammed, in June 2017, and Joburg gang boss Mark “Bin Laden” Groenewald. The group face over 20 charges for various crimes including murder, racketeering and smuggling mandrax worth R1.8million.

During the explosive bail hearings, court documents lifted the lid on what allegedly led to the murders, as police revealed that the case dated back to 2013, when they uncovered a mandrax factory in Durbanville, allegedly owned by Jerome Booysen.

Initially, investigators were probing both brothers after the bust, but after they discovered Colin was allegedly separating his business from his older brother, they opted to investigate him separately.

The State alleges that Desai was killed as a result of being embroiled in a fist fight with Colin and a failed plot aimed at killing him. Groenewald was shot and killed in Reiger Park on December 8, 2017 and, according to the State, he was targeted as he was allegedly linked to Jerome.

In responding papers, Colin hit back at the State, saying the drugs were found at a property owned by his brother and not him.

The court subsequently denied the bail applications made by Colin, Oliphant and Abrahams, while the others were released as their applications were not opposed by the State.

Colin’s lawyer, Luzuko Guma, said: “I can confirm that the bail application was denied … but at this stage we are waiting for a copy of the judgment so we can consult and see if he wants to appeal the outcome.”

The case was postponed to September 26.

mahira.duval@inl.co.za

Cape Argus