A psychiatric report on the alleged Parliament arsonist, Zandile Mafe, is expected to take centre stage when he returns to the Western Cape High Court on Thursday morning.
The court had ordered that a psychiatrist assess him to determine whether he’s able to follow court proceedings and understand the gravity of his charges.
In May, Judge Nathan Erasmus received a psychiatric evaluation report from medical experts but ruled that its contents should not be made public.
He gave Mafe’s defence a month to consult with their client.
Mafe had been sent for a 30-day psychiatric observation at the Fort England Psychiatrics’ Hospital in the Eastern Cape after he refused to go to a Cape Town hospital.
He is charged with terrorism, arson, housebreaking and theft following the fire that destroyed the National Assembly chamber in January last year.
Mafe is currently detained in the hospital section of the Pollsmoor Correctional Facility.
VIDEO: Analysis on Mafe to being sent for psychological evaluation:
Scapegoat
Earlier this year, Azapo said Mafe should not be in jail. Party Spokesperson Gaontebale Nodada accused the state of using a defenceless black man as a scapegoat in the matter, while protecting the real perpetrators of the crime.
“We are saying as Azapo, refusing people bail on the basis of no fixed address is political, and also it has got some racist undertones. Firstly, blacks are landless, and the fact that they occupy informal settlements is not their own doing- punishing them therefore is a bit extreme, when the law is able to use technology to be able to trace the whereabouts of an accused person who is on bail.”
