EFF leader Julius Malema has been found guilty. Image: AFP/Rodger Bosch.
(The Post News)- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has been found guilty of contravening the Firearms Control Act after he fired a gun at a political rally in 2018. Meanwhile, his co-accused and former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was found not guilty.
The verdict was handed down during a sitting on Wednesday morning at the East London Magistrate’s Court. Malema is scheduled to January 2026 for pre-sentencing proceedings.
If Malema receives a term of over 12 months imprisonment without the possibility of a fine and does not have the ruling overturned on appeal, he will be barred from serving in the legislature.
Throughout Monday and Tuesday, Presiding Magistrate Twanet Olivier carefully went over the evidence in the seven-year-old case, including the defense’s arguments and the testimony of the 19 state witnesses. Magistrate Olivier explained that the extended recap of testimony and cross-examination is necessary to provide comprehensive context, demonstrating precisely how the court arrived at its eventual ruling.
However, the deliberate pace has fuelled visible frustration, with EFF Secretary-General Marshall Dlamini criticizing the slow-moving process, saying the party has been forced to “waste the entire day listening to the recap.”
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The allegations stem from the July 2018 EFF fifth birthday event in Mdantsane, where Snyman is shown on camera giving Malema a gun, which he fired into the air in front of a crowded audience.
Under the Firearms Control Act, the defendants are charged with serious offenses such as reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. The state’s ballistic specialists vehemently refute the central defense argument, which holds that the firearm was a fake gun used for theatrical effect.
Malema had denied being on the wrong side of the law. According to his attorney, he had used a toy gun and blank cartridges instead of live ammo; however, the court dismissed the argument.
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