For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: Bail hearing of alleged arsonist to be heard in High Court; State capture whistleblower Themba Maseko appointed Wits governance school director; And, Mantashe says an attack on deployment is an attack on transformation and democracy

Bail hearing of alleged arsonist to be heard in High Court

The bail hearing of alleged Parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe will be heard on an urgent basis on Saturday.

National Prosecuting Authority Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed a notice of motion for an urgent bail application had been filed in the Western Cape High Court.

It comes after Mafe was admitted to Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital on Thursday to start his 30-day mental observation, after a bed was secured for him.

The State argued earlier this week for Mafe to be referred to the psychiatric hospital for mental observation following a diagnosis and recommendation by district surgeon Zelda van Tonder.

State capture whistleblower Themba Maseko appointed Wits governance school director

Former CEO of the Government Communications and Information Systems Themba Maseko has announced that he was appointed as the new director of executive development at the University of Witwatersrand's School of Governance.

Maseko was one of the earliest casualties of the State capture project under former president Jacob Zuma's administration. Evidence at the Zondo Commission concluded that Zuma instructed then-minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane to remove Maseko in 2010.

The first part of the State Capture Inquiry report released last week found Maseko's removal resulted in government communications enabling instances of State capture, including that The New Age newspaper scored major advertising deals with government departments and State-owned entities.

And, Mantashe says an attack on deployment is an attack on transformation and democracy

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has warned that the State capture report may launch heavy attacks on deployment - and by extension, transformation and democracy.

The minister delivered a keynote address at the gala dinner of the Energy Summit, hosted by the South African Youth Economic Council on Thursday evening. His address focused on the country's just energy transition, but he also used the opportunity briefly to address the Zondo Commission's report on State capture.

The report has shown that the ANC benefited from the proceeds of corruption, and the party's deployment committee came under scrutiny for endorsing individuals who presided over the capture of State entities.

Mantashe said that in the past, every head of department in the State was a white male, and companies were headed by white males. He said the ANC has changed that situation - by intervening "deliberately" in the system.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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