‘Mentally ill’ man causes chaos at Winnie Mandela Library
'He instructed us to leave the library within one minute or we would know how dangerous he was'
A man, believed to be mentally ill, caused some drama at Winnie Mandela Library when he threatened to burn it down.
According to a 27-year-old witness, on September 22, the man asked to play chess but the librarian refused.
After the man was denied this, he threatened librarian staff and said he would burn down the building.
“I was working on my laptop when the guy, who claimed to be from the military forces, shouted out he wanted someone to challenge him to a fight,” the witness said.
According to the witness, the suspect pulled out a soldier’s emblem from his pocket and held a knife in his hand.
A source said the suspect took five cellphones from employees, claiming the phones belonged to him.
“He instructed us to leave the library within one minute or we would know how dangerous he was. Without hesitation all the people inside the library went outside. One of the people inside the library called security to remove the man,” a source added.
Library staff refused to comment on the incident.
Tembisa SAPS communication officer Capt Manyadza Ralidzhivha said no case was opened against the suspect.
