MEC Plato welcomes conviction of 18 gangsters

Lusanda Bill
15 May 2015

Western Cape MEC of Community Safety Dan Plato has welcomed the conviction of eighteen gangsters in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.

Alleged 28s gang boss George Thomas was found guilty of seven murders. Between him and his co-accused they were charged with more than 140 crimes ranging from murder to racketeering.

MEC Plato said the reintroduction of the Specialised Gang and Drug unit is needed urgently.

Ministerial Spokesperson Ewald Botha said the conviction of Thomas and his co-accused should be used as a model case of how to ensure that more convictions follow and that the gangsters responsible for crimes must be removed from our streets.

Botha said the success in the conviction is clearly a result of a collaborative and specialised approach which is institutionalised in the form of Specialised Gang and Drug unit can result in more gang convictions.