The man suspected of arson in the South African parliament has been charged with arson, theft, burglary and possession of explosives. This afternoon, 49-year-old Zandile Christmas Mafe was arraigned in court, where he denied all allegations.
On Sunday morning, a fire broke out in the parliament building in Cape Town, destroying much of the building. The fire was only last night under control. The fire brigade is still active in and around the building, because the fire could flare up again.
Mafe was found in the burning building and arrested. The prosecutor said he was in possession of explosives. His motives are not yet clear.
Mafe’s lawyer states that his client is the victim of a change of person. Officers would have arrested him, because otherwise the police would have failed. The client, as a poor resident of a township in Cape Town do not even have money to buy food, “let alone explosives”, according to the defence.
Roof collapsed
No one was injured in the fire. However, the shock is great. The House of Commons has been completely destroyed. The roof of the oldest part of the building, which was completed in 1884, has also collapsed. “It will take a long time to repair the damage,” fire chief Ian Schnetler said earlier today.
The facade survived the fire fairly unscathed:
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