Sanction against DA’s Jaftha bashed
The DA has been slammed for the light sentence a councillor was given after he sought clemency for a criminal.
|||Cape Town - Community safety groups and the ANC have slammed the DA for its light sentence for a ward councillor who sought clemency for a criminal convicted alongside one of Cape Town’s most notorious gangsters.
DA councillor Willie Jaftha, subcouncil six’s chairperson, had written a letter to the Western Cape High Court to ask for clemency for Riyaaz Dennis, who was one of 28s gang boss George “Geweld” Thomas’s 16 hitmen.
Dennis was convicted and sentenced on 13 charges, including murder, incitement to murder, illegal possession of firearms and racketeering.
Western Cape High Court Judge Chantal Fortuin handed him a 20-year sentence for murder and 42 years for the other charges.
When sentencing Dennis, Judge Fortuin said she had received letters from family and members of the community asking for mercy because he had regularly donated money to community organisations.
But Jaftha’s letter, on a City of Cape Town letterhead, shocked her, the judge said.
The DA found Jaftha guilty of breaching the party’s code of conduct and ordered him to complete six months of community service and write a letter of apology to be published in all the major Cape Town newspapers, to apologise for his lack of judgement.
He must also host two public meetings in his community to apologise for his lack of judgement, DA federal council chairperson James Selfe said.
Community Policing Forum cluster head Hanif Loonat said the DA’s sanction of Jaftha was not enough of a deterrent to stop other councillors from doing something similar.
“We are fighting the scourge of gangsterism, which is becoming monstrous. Such actions (Jaftha’s letter to the court) do not make it easier for us. He got off very lightly,” Loonat said.
Pentech Neighbourhood Watch member Shaun Swartz said gangsterism in Belhar, where Jaftha lived, was rapidly getting out of control, and that he felt that Jaftha was not properly sanctioned
.
“This sanction does not serve the interest of justice and is not fair on the community,” Swartz said.
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said Jaftha’s punishment was nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
“This proves the DA is not serious about fighting crime and gangsterism. The public must note the DA chose to not assist in giving effect to the Prevention of Organised Crime Act by condoning the shocking conduct of a DA councillor having assisted a convicted gangster in the George Thomas case.”
Selfe said he respected the views of Pentech Neighbourhood Watch and the Community Policing Forum, but would not react to the ANC’s views, which he called “ludicrous”.
Jaftha said he accepted his sanction and would not appeal.
“The moment I wrote the letter I was responding to a plea from a mother. It was not my intention to bring the DA or the City into disrepute.
“As a councillor, people come to me for help, and sometimes I do help them.
“At the time I wrote the letter I wanted to help a mother,” Jaftha said.
He was also investigated by the City and its disciplinary committee chairperson, Anthea Serritslev, who said the committee would meet him this week.
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Cape Times