ARSON suspect Zandile Christmas Mafe has admitted that he set the South African Parliament building in Cape Town alight and promised to burn it again if it is rebuilt.
Mafe was appearing in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday, 13 July for a pre-trial hearing, after his return from Fort England Psychiatric Hospital in the Eastern Cape where he had undergone psychiatrist observation.
The arson accused stepped into the courthouse dramatically shouting and calling for the Cape Town Parliament to be moved.
"I burnt it intentionally. Me, Zandile Christmas Mafe. I'm going to burn it again if it doesn't move to Bloemfontein or Pretoria," said Mafe.
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He told the court presided by Judge Nathan Erasmus that he was not scared of a life sentence and went on to speak about load shedding.
The decision to take Mafe to the Eastern Cape happened after he refused to go to Valkenburg Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town.
It is the same hospital where he was taken immediately after his arrest in January 2022, but his legal team challenged the legality of his mental evaluation.
Mafe's defence lawyer, Advocate Dali Mpofu told the court that they will consult Mafe on whether to dispute or challenge the findings of the report from the Fort England Psychiatric Hospital.
The matter has been postponed to 10 August.
