DA councillor retracts gun allegations against NCC deputy president but still faces court fight

Newly elected Cape Town DA councillor, Dr Sebastian Petersen, has retracted allegations that he made about National Coloured Congress (NCC) deputy president Larry Varrie, and party candidates supplied guns to the Cape Flats, but still faces a contempt of court application.

Petersen, who won Ward 55 with 5 598 votes in the local government elections, withdrew statements he made on Facebook on 3 and 4 November 2026, after the dispute reached the Western Cape High Court.

Varrie says the retraction only came after he filed the contempt application and insists the case will proceed. The dispute has also drawn criticism from the Patriotic Alliance which has called on the DA to explain what action it intends taking against the newly elected councillor.

The dispute follows a series of Facebook posts and comments Petersen made on 3 and 4 November 2026, in which he allegedly made several claims about Varrie, including that he would follow NCC leader Fadiel Adams to prison, and that he and NCC candidates supplied guns on the Cape Flats.

Varrie has asked the court to order Petersen to remove the Facebook posts within 12 hours, to publish a retraction and keep it up for 30 days.

Alternatively, he is seeking a 90-day prison sentence, suspended on condition that Petersen complies with that order.

In his formal retraction published on his Facebook account, Petersen stated: "I, Sebastian Petersen, hereby formally retract the statements I made about Mr Larry Varrie in a Facebook post published on my Facebook account.

“I further retract all statements, comments and publications I made about Mr Larry Varrie on my Facebook account on 3 and 4 November 2026.”

Varrie said he had tried to resolve the matter before approaching the court, but Petersen had refused to withdraw his statements and apologise.

"Before going to court, I asked Mr Petersen to withdraw his statements and apologise. He chose to dismiss that request publicly, and later the court's order as well," Varrie said.

"His retraction came only after a contempt of court application had been filed. We note it, but the application stands, and the court will decide the matter."

Varrie said the dispute was about more than his personal reputation, citing that public figures should be held accountable for allegations made against others.

"Being in politics does not give anyone the right to accuse another person of supplying guns to our communities. Those who seek public office must be held to a higher standard. If we want people to respect the law, we must first show that it applies to everyone. That is the standard I am asking the court to uphold," he said. 

This comes as Petersen was elected DA ward councillor for Ward 66 in the City of Cape Town during the local government elections, securing 5 598 votes, representing 56.5% of the vote.

Patriotic Alliance (PA) strategic political adviser Grant Pascoe said using gun violence to "attack political opponents" was disgraceful in communities living with its daily consequences.

"Petersen is now an elected councillor, and the DA must answer for how it has handled his social media conduct. In my view, the party failed to hold him accountable. What value does its social media policy have if it is not enforced?

His retraction withdraws serious allegations but offers no apology or explanation. Petersen owes Larry Varrie and the public a proper apology. The DA must explain whether his conduct breached its policy and what action will follow," Pascoe said.

DA metro chairperson JP Smith said Petersen had informed the party of the matter and was currently defending it in court.

'The NCC makes themselves guilty of continuous and frequent malicious and defamatory statements against many of the DA members. [Petersen] was repeating the general public opinion," he said. 

Smith added the party has a social media policy, but would not discuss its disciplinary proceedings in the media.

"This election has been characterised by widely reported defamatory statements and disinformation by a variety of political parties opposing the DA in the city. It seems many of them enjoyed dishing it out but want to cry when the DA fights back," he said. 

The matter is expected to be heard in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.