Cape Town - Parliament arson accused Zandile Mafe will be transferred to a psychiatric institution in the Eastern Cape for observation, the Western Cape High Court heard on Friday.
Mafe appeared for a pre-trial conference before Judge Robert Henney, where it was decided his mental health observation may take place in the Eastern Cape.
Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “The case against Zandile Christmas Mafe was postponed to March 28 to allow the Hawks to finalise logistical arrangements for him to be admitted at an Eastern Cape hospitaL”
Mafe has been in custody since January 2022, following his arrest. He was allegedly caught in the Parliamentary precinct, hours after a fire broke out that destroyed the National and old Assembly buildings.
Mafe has been charged with three counts of terrorism, housebreaking with intent to commit arson and theft.
During his bail application Mafe said that he had been renting in Khayelitsha, that he had been unemployed when he was arrested and to his knowledge, didn’t suffer from any mental illness.
According to the indictment, among the items found in Mafe’s possession when he was arrested were “coffee, stamps, stationery items, clothing, shoes, crockery, dumbbell weight, extension electrical chord, keys, toiletries, a kettle and a toaster".
The State alleged, Mafe single-handedly managed to gain access to the precinct, climb through a window into the building.
“When the police who were guarding the gate at the Plein Street entrance left their post, the accused scaled the fence at the entrance and made his way to the Parliament precinct.
“The accused was then loitering in the Parliament premises where he avoided at least one police patrol by hiding behind a wall. He also crawled and remained on his stomach at times to avoid detection,” court documents read.
The State has confirmed they have video footage, should the matter go to trial.
Shortly after his arrest, Mafe’s neighbour Wendy Luhabe told the Cape Argus: “To me, it wasn’t unexpected when I heard the news because that defines how he is as a person. In the area when it was election time, he said he hated the ANC. He went around the voting stations trying to persuade people to vote for another party.”
rafieka.williams@inl.co.za