On Friday, the Cape Town Regional Court denied him bail. Mafe is charged with crimes including arson over a devastating fire at Parliament in Cape Town last month.

He has denied the charges. The defence team says it will appeal the court’s decision that there were no compelling circumstances for Mafe’s release on bail.

He was arrested shortly after Parliament was set alight. Mafe remains in custody at Pollsmoor Prison after his defence applied to the High Court for his discharge from Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital. His lawyer, Luvuyo Godla, says they will draft correspondence.

“Now in my office, we will quickly draft correspondence to transcribe the recording on an urgent basis and we will approach the High Court and appeal the matter on an urgent basis. This is our instruction from Mr Mafe.”

NPA welcomes court’s decision

The NPA has welcomed the decision of the Cape Town Regional Court to deny alleged Parliament arsonist, Zandile Christmas Mafe bail.

NPA spokesperson in the Western Cape, Eric Ntabazalila, says there is a strong case against the accused.

“The next step is to ensure that we prove our case against the accused beyond any reasonable doubt. We believe that we have a strong case against the accused and the experienced and skilled investigating and that the prosecution team we have assembled, will put up a strong case before the court that will result in a successful prosecution.”

SABC News