Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Western Cape High Court will check in with Parliament arson-accused Zandile Mafe on Thursday following his two-month period of psychiatric observation ahead of his trial.
After police arrested Mafe on 2 January 2022, the day of the fire, an initial diagnosis of a psychiatric condition was made and he was sent to Valkenberg Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Cape Town.
Investigators were concerned about his alarming body language and statements while they were interviewing him.
His pro bono advocate, Dali Mpofu SC, successfully argued that the referral process was unlawful, and Mafe was taken out of the hospital and put in Pollsmoor Prison.
During his bail application, Mafe spent a day setting out his life story from when he left Mahikeng and how his last formal job was at a bakery in Cape Town.
Before his arrest, he alternated between sleeping on the streets and at his shack in Khayelitsha, depending on whether he had generated enough cash for transport by carrying people’s groceries.
Life on the streets created a deep resentment over how people experiencing poverty are treated, he said.
Mafe’s political views ranged from detesting President Cyril Ramaphosa to admiring extreme right-winger, the late Eugene Terre’Blanche.
During one of his court appearances, Mpofu cautioned against treating Mafe differently because of his unconventional views.
By agreement between the State and defence, he was referred for another assessment.
He had missed three court appearances because he either refused to leave his cell at Pollsmoor Prison or would not get up from the floor of the underground holding cells at the court.
To highlight some of his grievances, he also refused to eat.
On Thursday, the court should get an update on whether psychiatrists who worked with him think he can follow his trial well enough to instruct his legal team and whether he understands what the State’s accusations against him are.
He was charged with terrorism, arson, housebreaking with intent to commit arson, and theft.
He was allegedly carrying items taken from offices – a laptop, crockery, some documents and a handbag.
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