Suspect charged with arson in fire at South Africa’s Parliament

World
By Editor_1
Zandile Christmas Mafe, a suspect in connection to a fire at the South African Parliament, appears in the Cape Town Magistrates Court in Cape Town on Tuesday (4). The fire, which began in the early hours on Sunday (2) raged on for two days, devastated much of the parliament complex in Cape Town, before it was finally contained on Tuesday. Mafe, 49, was remanded into custody until January 11 during a brief court appearance on Tuesday. He was arrested on Sunday inside the parliament and has been charged by police with "housebreaking, arson" and damaging state property -RODGER BOSCH / AFP
0
By Zanele Mji and Lynsey Chutel

CAPE TOWN — Prosecutors on Tuesday (4) charged a 49-year-old man from a Cape Town township with arson, theft, housebreaking and possession of explosives in connection with the fire that gutted South Africa’s Parliament buildings.

The suspect, Zandile Christmas Mafe, is accused of starting the fire, which began early Sunday (2) and was not fully extinguished until Tuesday morning. He was also charged with breaking state security laws, because the structure is a site of national strategic importance, containing the National Assembly and lawmakers’ offices.

Mafe, who lives in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township according to court documents, did not enter a plea, although his lawyer, Luvuyo Godla, said he plans to plead not guilty. He remains in custody, and prosecutors have opposed bail, citing the severity of the charges.

Security officials arrested Mafe at the Parliament complex Sunday morning, spotting him shortly after the fire was reported. He was caught with stolen laptops, crockery and documents, according to prosecutors.

Mafe appeared only briefly in a packed magistrates’ court, not far from the gutted parliamentary complex in the city centre, appearing dishevelled in a faded long-sleeved grey shirt with denim shorts and dirty sneakers as he stood in the dock.

Standing behind a thick plastic screen, in line with pandemic regulations, he lowered his mask, allowing reporters to see his face.

Mafe’s lawyer said his client had moved to Cape Town about six years ago and did not have a job. He said his client denied setting the fire or carrying an explosive device. He accused the government of picking up a poor man because they needed to find a suspect, and using Mafe as a scapegoat for its failure to protect its own infrastructure.

“What interest would that poor man have in Parliament?” he said, speaking to reporters on the steps of the court.

Prosecutors, however, say that they are certain they have the right man.

“He’s got a case to answer for,” Eric Ntabazalila, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, said in a telephone interview. “Based on the evidence, we went to court.”

He said that more charges were likely to be filed by the next court appearance. That is scheduled for Jan. 11, to allow investigators to access the site, which remains dangerous.

The fire was only extinguished early on Tuesday, according to JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security. Firefighters will continue to monitor the buildings.

On Monday (3) afternoon, the fire flared up in a roof. Cape Town’s strong southeasterly wind, combined with wooden floorboards, years of dust and recently replaced bitumen — an asphalt used to seal the roof — created conditions for the fire to resume.

By midnight, the fire was brought under control, and teams of firefighters worked their way through what Smith described as a “labyrinth” of rooms to locate and extinguish other potential hot spots, winding lengths of hose through a “maze” of passages.

More than 60 firefighters battled the blaze, supported by crew from South Africa’s air force. At one point, the wind was so strong that firefighters could not risk using aerial platforms.

Instead, Smith said, they pulled “death-defying Spider-Man moves,” climbing up the side of the building to prevent the fire from sweeping into Tuynhuys, the official office of the president and one of the oldest buildings in the city.

-New York Times

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