Alleged Parliament building arsonist Zandile Mafe’s pre-trial has been postponed to November 4 after he refused to leave his Pollsmoor prison cell again.
Mafe was expected to appear before the Western Cape High court for the continuation of his pre-trial on Friday, where the state was expected to furnish the court with outstanding documents: a crime scene report and video footage.
Defence lawyer Luvuyo Godla said he would consult with Mafe and probe the reasons for his stay away.
The pre-trial, which was set for August, was postponed after the court heard that Mafe was on a hunger strike and would not leave his cell.
Godla requested for court proceedings to continue without Mafe. But his request was denied.
He then told the court that the Department of Correctional Services would need to account, because he was not aware that his client was on a hunger strike.
The 49-year-old Mafe has been in police custody since his arrest in January for allegedly setting the National Assembly chambers on fire at the start of the year.
In May, judge Daniel Thulare ordered Mafe back to prison following the dismissal of his bail reapplication. The ruling infuriated Mafe’s legal representative, advocate Dali Mpofu, who said at the time that his client was being denied his right to freedom.
Mpofu told a full bench of judges that Mafe had been incarcerated for five months without bail and without being proven guilty, and noted that if the incompetence of the police, prosecutor, and acting magistrate were put aside, his client would have long been released.
Mafe has maintained his innocence, but prosecutors have told the court that facial recognition experts have positively identified him from video footage collected on January 2, the day of the blaze.
Also read: Mafe’s pre-trial postponed due to his ongoing hunger strike
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