Cape Town - The family of Parliament arson-accused Zandile Christmas Mafe said they had hoped that he would be returning home over the weekend. Mafe was denied bail yesterday by the Cape Town Regional Court.
He had proposed that, if granted bail, he should either stay with family in Mahikeng or at his shack in Site B, Khayelitsha.
“We were really hopeful that he would be coming home,” said his disappointed brother, Zamile Matiwane. “The case has become unbearable now, and we just want it to end. We are asking ourselves here at home what will happen at the end of the case. The elders have lost hope now, and we just want to see this come to an end.”
Matiwane said whenever the case of Mafe is mentioned on TV or radio, they switch off the appliances.
“Every now and then, we just don’t want to hear about the case.”
It’s been over a month since Mafe was arrested on 2 January. He has been charged with causing the devastating fire which gutted the National Assembly building and parts of the Old Assembly.
Senior State Advocate Mervyn Menigo argued that the substantial allegations are that Mafe purchased petrol in a bottle, made his way to parliament, using stealth, broke into parliament and after spending some time in parliament, used boxes, paper and petrol to set parliament alight causing devastating damage to the facility.
“The motive for the attack flows from his deeply held political, ideological and philosophical beliefs and also intense resentment with the South African government.”
Furthermore, the state argued that his release may endanger the safety of the public, undermine public peace and security and that he was a flight risk.
Handing down the decision, Magistrate Michelle Adams said Mafe had not provided exceptional circumstances to be released on bail and remanded him in custody until February 11.
His lawyer Luvuyo Godla said they would appeal the decision even if it meant going to the highest court in the land.
“We will go to the Constitutional Court if we have to. We respect the decision of the court, but we are not satisfied with it. Mafe never wanted to be released but what he wanted was his bail application to be heard now he instructed us to appeal.”
The Acting Director of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape, Advocate Nicolette Bell, welcomed the decision of the court.
“This is a first step in the right direction of ensuring that we get justice. The next step is to ensure that we prove our case against the accused beyond any reasonable doubt.”
Bell said they have a strong case against Mafe, and the experienced and skilled investigating and prosecution team they have assembled will put up a strong case before the court that will result in a successful prosecution.
Weekend Argus