- The man arrested for arson during the Table Mountain fire no longer faces that charge.
- The charge has been amended to a by-law violation.
- The matter was postponed and will now take place in the Cape Town District Court.
The man arrested during last week's devastating Table Mountain fire no longer faces a charge of arson, the Cape Town Magistrate's Court heard on Wednesday.
Frederick Mhangazo was arrested on 18 April near a new fire on the periphery of the main blaze, which had started in the morning close to the Rhodes Memorial tea room.
The 35-year-old man says he lives in a makeshift structure on the slopes of Table Mountain.
When he appeared in court last week, the matter was postponed to verify his address.
Because he does not live in conventional housing, the direction marker he gave had to be verified and he was remanded.
In the meantime, representations were made by his pro bono lawyer, Shaun Balram.
When Mhangazo appeared in court on Wednesday, SA Human Rights Commission representatives were monitoring the case.
Balram submitted that, after representations were made on behalf of Mhangazo, the charges were changed to alleged contravention of a by-law under the National Parks Act.
It means he no longer faces an arson charge and a potential 15-year sentence, if found guilty.
The matter was postponed and will now be conducted in the Cape Town District Court, housed in the same building.
It will be heard after the lunch break on Wednesday.
Last week, via his lawyer, Mhangazo said he had arrived in South Africa by bus in 2013 on a 30-day permit.
He applied for a study visa to enrol for Information Technology in Cape Town. He said he had paid for the application, but had not received the visa yet.
He also lost his belongings in the fire.
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