AFRICAN EYE NEWS SERVICE, Lydenburg | Wednesday
A MAN who waged a single-handed war of terror on Mpumalanga farmers last month, saying he wanted to be “president of his own kingdom”, has been declared a Presidential mental patient.
Jan Jack Mnisi, a dreadlocked Rastafarian, was declared a Presidential patient in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court and has been referred permanently to a psychiatric hospital.
Shortly after his arrest Mnisi said he was not racist, but wanted to be the “President of Beetgekraal like Thabo Mbeki is for South Africa.”
Police initially thought 30-year-old Mnisi was fit to stand trial in connection with torching farm equipment and vehicles worth R200 000 and leaving threatening letters on six smallholdings in Beetgekraal near Burgersfort.
This week police fetched Mnisi from a psychiatric hospital in Pretoria, where he underwent a month of psychiatric evaluation.
The court withdrew all charges against Mnisi on the basis of a psychiatric report, which indicated he was mentally unbalanced.
Prosecutor Chris Kook confirmed that charges of malicious damage to property, arson and intimidation against Mnisi had been dropped.
A 28-member police team and helicopter spent a week trying to find Mnisi, but it took only two policemen to arrest him.
He was arrested after police offered a R10 000 reward, which prompted a community member to tell police that Mnisi was hiding at a sangoma’s house in Bothaville.
He first appeared in court on July 24 and turned down legal representation, saying his gods would defend him.