It has been a year since the Parliament‘s National Assembly chamber was set on fire.
Also read: Zandile Mafe wanted to burn Parliament to prevent SONA, says State prosecutor
Zandile Christmas Mafe who is allegedly the man behind the arson once again failed to appear before the Western Cape High Court yesterday 27 January 2023.
The 49-year-old man is facing terrorism and arson charges.
According to EWN, Mervyn Menigo, a state prosecutor told the court that Mafe refused to leave his prison cell.
“A number of officials tried to coax Mr Mafe to come to court this morning including the head of the prison but were unsuccessful. So he’s refusing to attend court proceedings,” said Meningo.
Mafe’s lawyer Luvuyo Golda stated his client had indicated that he would be in court during their last consultation. “I don’t know why all of a sudden he decided to change his mind,” said Golda.
Mafe initially missed his pre-trial hearing last year in August and in September 2022 did not show up to court again.
The magistrate adjourned the pre-trial hearing to 10 February 2023.
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Picture: Twitter