[imagesource:theusnationalarchives]

Cape Town lawyer, Gary Trappler, and his advocate have received an anonymous tip about plans for a hit taken out on both of them.

According to a reliable source, three men from East London have been paid R300,000 to travel to Cape Town and attend to the hit to which they have been assigned.

This comes after the ongoing criminal case between Mr Trappler and Thandi Mgwaba, who claims that the Cape Town lawyer was involved in an alleged racist tire-slashing incident in February 2020.

At the time, Mgwaba reported Trappler to the police, he was arrested and appeared in court, but charges were dropped in 2021 due to lack of evidence. Now, he has since pleaded not guilty to the charge of malicious damage to property after Mgwaba successfully petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions for the case to be reinstated.

Last week saw the case revisited in the Cape Town magistrates court, where Trappler’s attorney cross-examined the complainant, Mgwaba. In this cross-examination, Mgwaba broke down in tears and admitted to having contacted the EFF in order to potentially bypass the justice system.

On the morning of November 29th, worrisome WhatsApp messages were received tipping off a planned hit on Trappler and his attorney. The incident has also been reported to SAPS, with a statement submitted by Mr Trappler to the police with the messages validated as evidence. The man who sent the message provided his ID which was legitimate according to the police who ran a check.

Scare tactic or not, it is ridiculous that death threats have entered the picture now, something that is completely disproportionate to the case and accusations levied against Trappler.

Mr Trappler is reportedly unsettled by this news but has arranged 24/7 private armed security for himself and his family.

The criminal case brought by Mgwaba has been postponed to January next year. Meanwhile, the police are further investigating the matter of the alleged hit.