Parliament of South Africa fire 02 January 2022

[Branden88]

Initial reports stated that the sprinkler system had not functioned correctly, protection services staff were not on duty, and the CCTV system was not being monitored in the time running up to the start of the fire.
On 6 January 2022, the City of Cape Town released a preliminary report based on observations from the fire services. This report confirmed that the National Assembly sprinkler valve system had not been serviced since 2017, and was closed at the time of the fire. It also found that fire doors were latched open, which aided the spread of the fire.
2022 Parliament of South Africa fire - Wikipedia




Taxpayers could pay for parliament fire as buildings are not insured:

Taxpayers could pay for parliament fire as buildings are not insured: report (businesstech.co.za)

Public works acting director-general Imtiaz Fazel told the newspaper that the cost of insuring a R141 billion state property portfolio of more than 82,000 buildings is unaffordable.

*The water sprinklers in the old House of Assembly building and the National Assembly wing were closed and should have undergone maintenance in February 2020.
*The fire detection system appeared to have been faulty, as firefighting services were already on the scene when the alarms sounded.
*The security cameras in the parliamentary complex were not monitored between 02h00 and 06h00 on the morning of the fire.



Zandile Mafe: ‘Political activity’ of Parliament arson suspect raises eyebrows (thesouthafrican.com)

*“They found an ANC T-shirt and placards demanding Waluś’s release by January 22. He also has politics stories dating back to the 1980s. He keeps them in a bag. That’s where his identity document was,” said Nkwela.
*“He is weird. He would sweep the yard and the street. I reported him to his landlord. I was concerned he doesn’t act sane. The landlord told me he is very educated. I left it at that,” said Base.
Mafe’s family members were in disbelief when they heard the news.
*“Really what happened to Zandile, I am very disappointed about it. Because from childhood when I grew with Zandile, Zandile is not a violent person,” said Mafe’s brother Alfred Matiwane to SABC News.
The brother described Mafe, who originally hails from Mahikeng, North West, as a loner who is reserved and polite.
*Mafe’s other brother, Zamile Matiwane, told the public broadcaster that Zandile knows the truth and that the family deserves to be told exactly what took place before his arrest.
*The family said it believes Mafe is being wrongfully prosecuted and they are seeking legal opinions on the matter.

MAFE ACCUSED OF STARTING PARLIAMENT FIRE

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the 49-year-old is charged with housebreaking, two counts of arson, possession of an explosive device and destruction of essential infrastructure.
*According to Mafe’s charge sheet, he was allegedly found in possession of stolen laptops, documents and crockery.
*The NPA is pushing for Schedule 5, while the defence insists Mafe must be charged under the lesser Schedule 1.

[Johann du Toit]

What I don't understand is how did this Zandile Mafi clown got Dali Mpofu to represent him? Senior Counsel fees are prohibitively high, especially for a broom pusher, so who is bankrolling his legal defence?

[oafpatroll]

The same people who set him to do it perhaps? Very much doubt if Mpofu is a pro bono kinda guy.

[Branden88]

Parliament arsonist accused Zandile Mafe to spend 30 days at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital for observation (iol.co.za)

*Cape Town - Parliament fire accused Zandile Mafe will undergo a mental evaluation for the next 30 days, as ordered by Magistrate Zamekile Mbalo.
*The 49-year-old – who was represented by advocate Dali Mpofu – also faces charges of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, two counts of arson and possession of an explosive device.
*After the State sent Mafe for psychiatric evaluation, it was found that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
*The State made an application for Mafe to undergo a 30-day observation period at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.

[Branden88]

The same people who set him to do it perhaps? Very much doubt if Mpofu is a pro bono kinda guy.

Zandile Mafe: Dali Mpofu joins legal team as senior counsel (thesouthafrican.com)
Dali Mpofu has joined Zandile Mafe’s defence at the request of pro bono lawyer Luvuyo Godila. The accused is expected to apply for bail.

I’m NOT saying this is the truth, just saw this and sharing.

[oafpatroll]

Zandile Mafe: Dali Mpofu joins legal team as senior counsel (thesouthafrican.com)
Dali Mpofu has joined Zandile Mafe’s defence at the request of pro bono lawyer Luvuyo Godila. The accused is expected to apply for bail.

I’m NOT saying this is the truth, just saw this and sharing.

I love learning new things and finding out when my prejudices have clouded my mind but I'm not holding my breath on this one ;-)
Mpofu is what my dear old gran used to call a "Bad Egg" and where he shows up you can be sure that things are not what they seem.

[Johann du Toit]

I love learning new things and finding out when my prejudices have clouded my mind but I'm not holding my breath on this one ;-)
Mpofu is what my dear old gran used to call a "Bad Egg" and where he shows up you can be sure that things are not what they seem.

He's a disgrace to the legal protection who treats his colleagues in the legal profession and judicial officers with contempt, and strangely has thus far managed to escape censure or punishment. Every case he chooses is clearly intended to promote himself and stroke his ego, to signal his moral superiority to the rest of humanity. Calling him a bad egg is an insult to eggs.

[shooty]

Human rights issues or not. If you make a conscious decision to take something to a Countries Parliament and set it on fire. Its Terrorism and attack on state and citizens. You deserve then nothing less than the Death Penalty.

Look at how USA is treating the protests of 6 January 2021.

[Johann du Toit]

Human rights issues or not. If you make a conscious decision to take something to a Countries Parliament and set it on fire. Its Terrorism and attack on state and citizens. You deserve then nothing less than the Death Penalty.

Look at how USA is treating the protests of 6 January 2021.

Look, this guy is a POS but he didn't kill anyone, so executing him would be a disproportionate punishment for the crime. His mental illness will also likely be taken consideration at sentencing (unless he is deemed unfit to stand trial and committed to a secure mental institution, that is).

[Skaaphaas]

I wonder if an assessment about capacity at the time of committing the offence will be performed.