Matricide accused appears looking dazed

A DAZED-LOOKING Mark Zinde, accused of murdering his mother, former SABC board member Hope Zinde, briefly appeared in the North Gauteng High Court.

Mark Zinde was in May referred to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital for the third time for mental observation.

But Judge Bert Bam was told by the prosecution that there was still not a bed available for Zinde at Weskoppies.

The case was postponed to August 6 and prosecutor Andre Wilsenach said he hoped a bed would be available by then.

Judge Bam enquired whether Zinde was still being held at the hospital section of the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria.

Wilsenach confirmed this and said Zinde would remain in the medical section until Weskoppies was ready to receive him.

As during his previous appearances, Zinde seemed to be in a daze. This time he was handcuffed to double murderer January Mahlangu when he entered the court.

They sat in silence close to each other in the dock while waiting for their respective cases to be called, and for the court orderly to uncuff them.

A panel of psychiatrists has twice before declared Zinde fit to stand trial. But both the defence and the State agreed that he be evaluated for a third time, as it appeared that his mental state may have deteriorated.

However, it is understood that he is not communicating with anyone and that it is difficult to take instructions from him about what happened on the day his mother had died.