Lawyer guilty of tyre slashing in alleged racially motivated attack on neighbour

A Cape Town lawyer has been found guilty of malicious damage to his neighbour's property. 

Prominent attorney Gary Trappler was convicted in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court. 

Trappler was found guilty of slashing the tyres of his former neighbour Thandi Mgwaba. 

The incident took place in Sydney Road, Toronga Mansions in Green Point in 2020. 

Mgwaba said at the time that Trappler’s actions were racially motivated because she was a black woman, and Trappler told her children that he did not want black people living there. 

NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed the conviction. 

He told IOL the matter against Trappler has been postponed until August 8, for sentencing. 

Leader of the ANC in the Western Cape and Parliamentary constituency head for Cape Central and the Atlantic Seaboard, Khalid Sayed, welcomed the conviction. 

“Ms Mgwaba, a Black woman and grandmother, was subjected to a deeply traumatic and targeted act of aggression in 2020 when Trappler slashed her car tyres, made threatening remarks, and asserted that Black people did not belong in the neighbourhood,” he said. 

“Initially, the case was dismissed despite the existence of CCTV footage showing Trappler approaching the car multiple times and crouching by the tyres before they visibly deflated. Public outcry resulted in the NPA reviewing the case and making a decision, based on the CCTV evidence, to reinstate the charges,” Sayed said. 

He further called for action to be taken against the SAPS and NPA for refusing and denying Mgwaba justice.

The ANC has further called for the blacklisting of Trappler in the legal fraternity.  

Sayed said the party commended Magistrate Stephen Bengequla for his clear and principled ruling, and noted his decision to refer the matter to the Equality Court to determine whether the crime was racially motivated. He said they believe this is a necessary and just step.

“This case highlights not only the persistence of racism in our communities, but also the need for vigilance in how our justice system responds to such incidents. Ms Mgwaba’s courage in speaking out and the community’s insistence that the case be taken seriously must be acknowledged,” Sayed said. 

Cape Times