Zandile Mafe claims to greater conspiracy; Parliament arson was intended to justify moving legislature out of the Cape
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Zandile Mafe, the man accused of burning down the Parliament building earlier this year, has claimed to be part of a greater conspiracy to move the seat of Parliament to the interior of the country, away from the Cape where “the white people are”.
During the trial, Mafe described how he bought petrol, entered Parliament, and made himself cozy for several days before setting fire to the building.
“My job as a terrorist, Zandile Mafe, was to burn down Parliament. We had planned it for a year and I was compensated for completing my mission. [My accomplices] are public and government officials and I was told what would be the consequence if I mentioned their names,” he claimed in court.
Moving Parliament has been suggested seriously before, by Jacob Zuma back in 2016, when he claimed that Tshwane was a better location for it.
At present, the three branches of government are split between Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (executive) and Bloemfontein (judicial). This geographical separation makes the government functionally resilient to armed coups.
Mafe has appeared in court to contest a panel report that found him to have schizophrenia and suggested his admission to a psychiatric hospital. Mafe maintains his not guilty plea.
Dr. Thupana Seshoka, who led the expert panel, wrote the report, which stated that Mafe was unfit to stand trial. However, a separate report by a defence-appointed private psychiatrist, Dr. Naseema Cassimjee, also diagnosed Mafe with schizophrenia but disagreed about his ability to stand trial.
Mafe demonstrated a naivité around custodial institutions, when he stated that only upon arriving at Fort England for observation, did he realise it was a place for people who were “mad.” The defence also presented Mafe’s diary as evidence, which he opposed, claiming it was confidential and obtained illegally.
In the final arguments, Advocate Dali Mpofu challenged the panel’s report, stating it was “disordered.” The State prosecutor, Mervyn Menigo, suggested that the court should find Mafe unfit to stand trial.
The court is expected to deliver its finding on December 11.
Independent news and opinion articles with a focus on the Western Cape, written for a more conservative audience – the silent majority with good old common sense.
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