Cape Town - Zandile Mafe is planning to sue the State for wrongful arrest after he was nabbed for allegedly setting fire to Parliament.
The fire caused destruction amounting to millions of rand.
Mafe told the regional court in Cape Town he intended to sue the State.
He has denied charges of arson and terrorism.
But the State said the charges were serious and would land him in jail if he was convicted.
Mafe’s counsel, Advocate Dali Mpofu, put it to him that because he intended suing the State he would not evade justice.
Video: Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)
“The lawsuit that you intend to pursue – will you pursue it if you run away?” asked Mpofu, to which Mafe replied that he would not evade the courts.
“If I want to lodge a lawsuit, there will be no reason for me to run away. I have been staying here for seven years and have not gone anywhere. I have never been outside South Africa,” Mafe told the court.
He said he would stay in Khayelitsha if he was released on bail and would not run away.
He insisted police apprehended the wrong person when they arrested him after Parliament was set on fire.
The City of Cape Town deployed a number of firefighters from the city and nearby areas to contain the fire.
It took firefighters three days to bring the fire under control.
Political Bureau