Man Accused of Smashing ConCourt Windows is a Convicted Murderer on Parole, Remains in Jail

• New information about the man who attacked the Constitutional Court building has come up during his first court appearance
• Paul Makatuta was actually convicted of murder in 2010 and had been out on parole when he carried out the attack
• South Africans are not happy that he is out of parole with some people suggesting that the law is not harsh on criminals

JOHANNESBURG - The man who has been arrested for smashing the windows of the Constitutional Court windows using a hammer made his first appearance at the Hillbrow Magistrate's Court on Friday, 7 January.

The man who has now been named as Paul Makauta, aged 36, is said to have a criminal record and was convicted of murder in 2010.

According to eNCA, Makauta was released on parole and has made the decision not to apply for bail.

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The National Prosecuting Authority could be considering charging Makauta with a Schedule 5 offence because the ConCourt building is a national key point.

Makuata's case has been postponed until 25 March and will remain in the custody of the police until then. TimesLIVE reports that the damage caused by Makauta has been estimated at R50 000.

On the day of his arrest on Wednesday, 5 January, the police noted that the man continued to attack the ConCourt building even after the police had instructed him to stop. He only stopped what he was doing after a police officer fired a warning shot.

South Africans concerned that Makauta was in prison for roughly 10 years

The news that Makauta is a parolee was not well-received by South Africans. Many pointed out that he might have only spent 10 to 11 years in prison for committing murder.

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@IanKeane3 said:

"So, 11 years for murder?? Crime pays in SA, it seems."

@StellenboschM said:

"A mere 11 years later? It could be less, depending on when he was paroled. We are a criminal paradise straight. Such quick parole?"

@Phuthi53050848 said:

"But South African laws to punish criminals are so weak to a point where you could see that the laws of this country favour criminals more than the victims, that is why we need a new government in power to amend some of these laws, including reinstating the death penalty."

@LB60967736 said:

"Convicted murderer out on parole. Typical that our country allows murderers and rapists to walk free - only to do more evil."

Suspected link between ConCourt attack and Parliament fire remains a conspiracy theory, expert weighs in

Briefly News previously reported that Professor Antony van Niekerk from the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Governance said that there is no reason to assume that the recent incidents at the Constitutional Court and Houses of Parliament are linked in any way.

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Van Niekerk said that these incidents must not be viewed as attacks on the South African government or ruling party until investigations into the specific circumstances have been concluded.

“I want to point out that we have many national key points of which some really stand out... It is the purpose of the security sector and intelligence to do that,” Van Niekerk said.

Source: Briefly News