South Africa: Alleged Parliament Arsonist Again Fails to Appear in Court Despite Apparent Agreement to Mental Health Evaluation

27 January 2023
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Vincent Cruywagen

Accused Zandile Mafe refused to leave his Pollsmoor Prison cell to appear in court, according to his defence attorney.

Mafe was expected to appear in the Western Cape high court on Friday for pre-trial purposes. A trial date was supposed to be set, but Mafe failed once again to appear in court. He has failed to appear on three earlier occasions.

Mafe's lawyer, advocate Luvuyo Godla, told the court that his client refused to leave his Pollsmoor Prison cell. According to the State Prosecutor, prison officials tried in vain to persuade Mafe to appear in court.

Mafe is accused of setting fire to the National Assembly building in the early hours of 2 January 2022. He faces charges of terrorism, arson, housebreaking, theft and possession of explosives.

A day after his arrest the matter surrounding his mental state became an issue. A day after his arrest, Mafe was examined by district surgeon Dr Zelda van Tonder.

She declared that Mafe was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Mafe's disputed confession was also made hours after the mental health report was filed.

On 4 January 2022, prosecutor Helene Booysen submitted an assessment report from Van Tonder. Based on this report, an order was...

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