Zandile Christmas Mafe, the man accused of starting a fire in Parliament. File Picture : Phando Jikelo / Independent Newspapers
The man accused of starting a fire at Parliament on January 2, 2022, has been declared unfit to stand trial.
Zandile Christmas Mafe appeared in the Western Cape High Court when the ruling was made on Monday.
Judge Nathan Erasmus said Mafe was incapable of understanding the court's proceedings.
Mafe was arrested hours after the blaze, which caused significant damage to the Parliamentary Precinct.
Last month, IOL reported that Mafe had rejected opinions on whether he was fit to stand trial.
Mafe faces charges of housebreaking with intent to commit terrorism and arson, terrorism, arson, and theft, and has been in custody since January 2 last year, after the National Assembly building in Cape Town was gutted by a fire.
During a previous appearance, Mafe told the court that he set the fire on purpose.
In a rant to the court, Mafe said Parliament should be moved to Bloemfontein.
"If you don’t take it to Pretoria, if you don’t relocate, it must move. This Parliament here, and I burnt it intentionally. Me, Christmas Zandile Mafe. I’m going to burn it more if it doesn’t move to Bloemfontein or Pretoria," he said.
Mafe's legal representative, Dali Mpofu SC, is expected to appeal Erasmus's ruling.
IOL