Parliament’s Alleged Arsonist Zandile Mafe to Receive Psych Evaluation at Fort England Hospital

• Zandile Mafe has been transferred to the Fort England Hospital in the Eastern Cape for psychiatric evaluation
• The Western Cape High Court's referral comes over a year after Mafe allegedly set fire to Parliament
• The psychiatric assessment will determine if the suspected arsonist is mentally fit to stand trial for the Parliament blaze

CAPE TOWN - The alleged Parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe will finally be psychiatrically evaluated over a year after setting fire to parts of the building on 2 January 2022.

Mafe appeared in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, 28 March, where Judge Nathan Erasmus ordered the suspected arsonist to be transferred from Pollsmoor to Fort England Hospital in Makhanda, TimesLIVE reported.

Mafe will be under the observation of two psychiatrists and two psychologists for 30 days. The evaluation aims to determine whether Mafe had an intellectual disability or psychiatric condition when he allegedly set fire to Parliament.

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This will determine if the alleged arsonist is fit to stand for trial.

Alleged Parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe beats first psych evaluation through hunger strike

According to News24, the referral to Fort England Hospital is the state's second attempt to psychiatrically evaluate Mafe.

The first attempt fell flat when the alleged criminal began a hunger strike soon after being admitted to Valkenberg Hospital.

Mafe was referred for psychiatric observation based on an early assessment from police concerned about his general demeanour.

The Western Cape High Court found that the referral was unprocedural and removed Mafe from the hospital after the referral was overturned.

South Africans are doubtful that Zandile Mafe is responsible for setting Parliament on fire

Below are some comments:

@Nokubon39231588 claimed:

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"The state doesn't have a case against him. Release the man!"

@ThaCido88 asked:

"Do we still believe that this man bridged security to get inside Parliament, the most secure place, and burn the building?"

@Don_RRS questioned:

"What if he is found not fit for trial, what then?"

@mkasithapelo added:

"Jokes aside... so the whole SA is quiet while the homeless man is pinned for a crime he didn't commit?"

Parliament fire: R2 billion worth of damage, Zandile Mafe yet to stand trial for setting Parliament ablaze

Briefly News reported that 2 January 2023 marked exactly one year since Zandile Mafe allegedly set the Parliamentary building on fire.

The fire started in the early hours of the morning at the Parliament precinct and captivated South Africans as it continued to rage for three days.

According to EWN, firefighters responded to the scene of the fire within six minutes of Parliament catching alight and over 300 men and women were deployed to put out the blaze.

Source: Briefly News