The lawyer for the man accused of setting Parliament alight at the weekend said his client is being used as a scapegoat.
Zandile Christmas Mafe, 49, made his first appearance in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday - two days after he was arrested in the precinct.
The fire left some offices, the new assembly and gymnasium completely gutted, and it took two days for the fire department to extinguish the blaze.
The Khayelitsha man faces two counts of arson, theft, housebreaking and contravention of the National Key Points Act, which his attorney, Luvuyo Godla, said he vehemently denies.
The lawyer, who previously defended the Economic Freedom Fighters, is representing unemployed Mafe on a pro bono basis.
Speaking outside court, Godla said his client will plead not guilty.
“This is a person from Mahikeng, he has been in Cape Town for about six years, he is a person with a family.
“This is not the person who is supposed to be apprehended, this is a scapegoat.
“The question I would venture is: what interest would that man have in burning Parliament?
“How would he gain access to Parliament? How would he know where to go and burn?
“We have a scapegoat here. This is a failure of the executive and legislature, not that poor person.
“Surely you (the media) don’t know where to enter the building and know the key points and which door to burn.”
He said there were no issues with Mafe’s mental state.
“He was not in possession of anything, in fact, he denies vehemently those charges.
“Why would private security and the police not be present at the place where they are supposed to be?
“We don’t even know how long it took for them to arrive.
“It can’t be that if you come across someone wandering around a certain proximity to the crime scene and therefore assume that he is the person.
“My client denies and rejects these charges and therefore he will plead not guilty,” he said.
Mafe walked into the courtroom wearing a grey shirt and shorts, which he wore the day he was arrested.
When he emerged from the court cells, the media armed with cameras were waiting for him in the dock.
Before he could face Magistrate Zamekile Mbalo, he turned to the media and took off his mask to show his face.
Magistrate Mbalo postponed the hearing to allow for further investigations.
National Prosecution Authority in the Western Cape spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said: “The case has been postponed to the 11 January, for the investigators to confirm some information which includes the residential address of the accused and whether he has assets.
He added: “The other issue is that the investigators have not been able to go to parliament, the crime scene, to assess how the damage is, because it was active until late Monday.
“The defence intends to apply for bail and the state is opposing bail, and more charges may be added.”