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'I did burn Parliament': High drama as Zandile Mafe shouts in court, threatens more arson

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'I did burn Parliament': High drama as Zandile Mafe shouts in court, threatens more arson

Zandile Mafe
Photo by Reuters
Zandile Mafe

13th July 2023

By: News24Wire

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There was high drama in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday morning when Parliament arson accused Zandile Mafe shouted: "I did burn Parliament," as he entered the dock.

His pre-trial appearance was intended to provide feedback on a second psychiatric assessment that he underwent.

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The first assessment, which concluded that he had schizophrenia, was declared unlawful.

That finding of the second assessment is still sealed.

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When Mafe stepped into court on Thursday, he called for Parliament to be moved to Bloemfontein and threatened to set fire to the building again if it didn't move.

"You must take it into Bloemfontein, that Parliament, or Pretoria. It must move. It must relocated. I burnt it intentionally. Me, Christmas Zandile Mafe. I'm going to burn it more if it doesn't move to Bloemfontein or Pretoria," he said.

He also called the DA "racists" and "murderers", saying the party should not be represented in Parliament.

In addition, he had an anti-white and anti-Semitic rant in the dock.

"I don't want whites in this land. They must bring back land to black people. Whites are murders. Whites are killers."

He added that Parliament should be turned into a toilet. 

Advocate Dali Mpofu, SC, represented him via a broken video link. In court, advocate Nikiwe Nyathi said the defence wanted a six-week postponement to get their own, independent psychiatric report. 

Judge Nathan Erasmus said he did not want to interrupt Mafe's outburst on purpose. 

"I know Mr Mafe's medical condition and I don't want to exacerbate it," he said. 

But he adjourned briefly when Mafe would not stop shouting. 

Mafe also told the court to give him a "life sentence of 25 years".

"I'm not afraid of a life sentence," he said.

"I'm not scared of a life sentence."

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