Confusion Over Zandile Mafe’s Covid19 Status, Lawyer Denies All Claims Against Parliament Fire Suspect
- Zandile Mafe's lawyer has denied rumours that the Parliament fire suspect has tested positive for Covid-19
- Mafe is being held at Valkenberg Hospital in Cape Town for a 30-day observation period to allow professionals to assess if he is fit to stand trial
- The justification for Mafe's observation period is that he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a diagnosis that caught his lawyer unaware
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CAPE TOWN - Luvuyo Godla, Zandile Mafe's lawyer, has denied rumours that the Parliament fire suspect has tested positive for Covid-19.
Mafe is being held at Valkenberg Hospital in Cape Town for a 30-day observation period to allow professionals to assess if he is fit to stand trial. On Saturday (22 January), Mafe will appear in court to present his bail application.
According to TimesLIVE, Godla has not personally viewed Mafe's Covid-19 test results and refuses to believe that his client has tested positive until he receives valid evidence.
Source: Getty Images
The future of Mafe's trial and dispelling rumours
Due to the mandatory eight-day self-isolation period for anyone who tests positive for Covid-19, even if Mafe has tested positive, his self-isolation period will end in term for his scheduled bail hearing, EWN reports.
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Today (18 January), Godla will appear in court on Mafe's behalf to convince the court to release his client from his observation period at Valkenberg. If his motion is successful, Mafe will be transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town.
The justification for Mafe's observation period is that he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which caught Godla unaware as he said he did not expect it. Godla alleges that he was only informed of the diagnosis 15 minutes before Mafe's second court appearance.
South Africans react to the latest developments in Mafe's case
@PhelisaDlamini asked:
"He has a lawyer? Didn't you guys say this guy is homeless, kanti?"
@Rythmofthought shared:
@slydecks remarked:
"Ted Bundy's mother never believed that her son was a serial killer."
@xolani_time believes:
@tinyiko_godfrey said:
"Speedy recovery to fighter Zandile Mafe."
Parliament arson accused says he was threatened with death sentence
In earlier news about this case, Briefly News reported that Zandile Christmas Mafe has revealed in an submitted to Western Cape judge president John Hlophe that he was threatened with the death sentence.
He alleges that he was arrested on the street while sleeping and violently manhandled.
Zandile proceeds to say that he was taken to an unknown police station where an unknown white officer threatened him with the death sentence if he did not cooperate.
Source: Briefly News
