“At the time of the alleged offence, the accused was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of the act in question.”
This was the key finding in a psychiatric report on Zandile Mafe, who is accused of setting alight the parliament building in Cape Town last year.
Mafe was arrested in January last year and faces terrorism and arson charges.
Judge Nathan Erasmus on Thursday read parts of a psychiatric report which found Mafe was not fit to stand trial.
“The accused is unable to follow court proceedings to make a proper defence. At the time of the alleged offence, the accused was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of the act in question,” the report read.
Mafe, on his arrival in court for his appearance, shouted, “I burn it [parliament] intentionally,” adding: “I am going to burn it more if it doesn’t move to Bloemfontein or Pretoria.”
Psychiatric report finds Zandile Mafe 'unwell' as he demands life sentence for ‘intentionally burning’ parliament
Image: Esa Alexander
“At the time of the alleged offence, the accused was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of the act in question.”
This was the key finding in a psychiatric report on Zandile Mafe, who is accused of setting alight the parliament building in Cape Town last year.
Mafe was arrested in January last year and faces terrorism and arson charges.
Judge Nathan Erasmus on Thursday read parts of a psychiatric report which found Mafe was not fit to stand trial.
“The accused is unable to follow court proceedings to make a proper defence. At the time of the alleged offence, the accused was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of the act in question,” the report read.
Mafe, on his arrival in court for his appearance, shouted, “I burn it [parliament] intentionally,” adding: “I am going to burn it more if it doesn’t move to Bloemfontein or Pretoria.”
WATCH | Outburst in court by alleged parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe
Mafe demanded the judge sentence him to life imprisonment.
“I want a life sentence of 25 years from now, 2023, until after 2043, I am not afraid of a life sentence,” he said.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the psychiatric report was compiled by a panel of three experts who observed Mafe for about a month at Fort England Psychiatric Hospital in the Eastern Cape.
“The defence counsel requested a six-week postponement for them to get a psychiatrist of their choice who will consult with Mafe and then draft a report, which will assist them to determine whether they will challenge the report of the panel from Fort England Psychiatric Hospital,” Ntabazalila said.
Erasmus was not happy about the postponement, saying Mafe’s legal team had more than a month to mull over the report.
He postponed the case until August 10.
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