DA councillor faces disciplinary after defending gangster

DA Western Cape chairperson Anton Bredell discusseWillie Jaftha’s suspension after he wrote a letter calling for a lenient sentence for 28s gang member Reyaaz Dennis.

An alleged leader of the 28s gang, George Thomas and his 17 co-accused in court on 4 May 2015, they collectively face 166 charges ranging from murder to attempted murder. Picture: Thomas Holder/EWN.

Eyewitness News | 2166 days ago

CAPE TOWN - Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Willie Jaftha has been suspended following an internal investigation after he came out in defence of convicted gangster Reyaaz Dennis.

Jaftha submitted a letter during argument in mitigation of sentence in the trial of 17 convicted gangsters.

He called for a lenient sentence to be handed down to Dennis.

Jaftha drafted the letter on an official City of Cape Town letterhead, which landed him in trouble with the DA.

#GeorgeThomas Belhar councillor Willie Jafta's letter he submitted during Dennis' arguments in mitigation of sentence pic.twitter.com/egvYzrj98d