A Khayelitsha man accused of setting two trains alight at the Cape Town Central Train Station on Sunday afternoon has admitted his guilt in a packed courtroom at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
A smiling Thobela Xoseni, 30, told magistrate Greg Jacobs through an isiXhosa interpreter: “I set the trains on fire. I burnt the trains.”
Xoseni was arrested after Law Enforcement agencies viewed CCTV footage, where he can be seen leaving one of the carriages.
He was identified and arrested on Monday.
Eleven carriages of two train sets stationed on platforms 13 and 14 were gutted in the arson attack. Prasa said the damage was estimated at R33 million.
State prosecutor Melanie Wells said security officers who patrolled the station noticed smoke coming from one of the platforms and raised the alarm.
The State requested a postponement for the accused to be mentally assessed by a district surgeon.
He remains in custody until he appears on 2 May.