South Africa charges parliament fire suspect with terrorism
January 11, 2022
Prosecutors in South Africa charged the man accused of starting the fire that gutted parts of South Africa's parliament building with terrorism on Tuesday.
Zandile M. was already facing five charges, including arson, theft and housebreaking, when the terrorism charge was added during his bail application in the Cape Town Magistrates Court.
The "accused is guilty of the offense of contravening the provisions of [...] the protection of constitutional democracy against terrorist and related activities," according to a court document seen by the AFP news agency.
The 49-year-old was arrested on parliamentary grounds after the fire broke out last Sunday. The additional charge of terrorism was added because he had also been caught with an explosive device, the prosecution said.
A prominent South African lawyer enters the fray
After his arrest, the suspect underwent psychiatric evaluation and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, defense lawyer Dali Mpofu told the court.
Mpofu is one of South Africa's most famous lawyers, and has defended some high-profile figures, including former president Jacob Zuma.
He is also the former national chairperson of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party.
Mpofu told the court his client would go on a hunger strike until he was granted bail.
"He is not prepared to trade his liberty for food," Mpofu said.
Protesters outside the court building demanded the suspect's release, saying he was a scapegoat.
The case was postponed to February 11.
Lawmakers to meet in alternative venue
President Cyril Ramaphosa's annual State of the Nation Address, which also signals the opening of parliament, will now take place in Cape Town's City Hall in February.
Former President Nelson Mandela made his first public address, after his release from prison in 1990, from the city hall's balcony.
"The extensive damage has necessitated the institution to find an alternative venue off-site to host this important event in the parliamentary calendar and the country," parliament said in a statement.
It took scores of firefighters more than two days to extinguish the blaze, which gutted the national assembly chamber where parliamentary debates are held.
A preliminary report by the city of Cape Town last week said the fire detection system appeared "faulty," and that "sprinklers did not activate."
No casualties were reported in the fire.
Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.
lo/rt (AFP, Reuters)