Johannesburg – The State is set to oppose bail in the case of alleged Parliament arson.
49-year-old Zandile Christmas Mafe, who was arrested in connection with the blaze at Parliament, appeared in court on Tuesday.
He will remain behind bars until his court appearance next Tuesday.
Mafe is facing charges of housebreaking, theft, two counts of arson, the possession of an explosive device and the destruction of essential infrastructure.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said that the State requested the court to postpone the case for the next seven days to obtain bail information such as the confirmation of his residential address, whether he had any assets and whether he had any pending cases.
“The defence is intending to apply for bail. The State will oppose them and more charges are likely to be added as the investigation continues,” said Ntabazalila.
The State also requested the postponement to finalise the schedule under which the accused will be charged as it intends to charge Mafe under schedule 5, however, his defence has insisted he be charged under schedule1.
Leave a Reply