Overview

• Magistrate Twanet Olivier found the EFF leader guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a public place, reckless endangerment, and contravening the Firearms Control Act.
• The court admitted authenticated event footage from Gearhouse and considered a spent cartridge recovered near the stadium, while Malema’s claim that the rifle was a toy was rejected.
• Co-accused and former bodyguard Adriaan Snyman was acquitted, with prosecutors acknowledging gaps in the case against him.
• Pre-sentencing proceedings are scheduled for 23 January 2026; the offences carry a potential sentence of up to 15 years, and a custodial term over 12 months without a fine could bar him from the National Assembly for five years.
• Malema denounced the verdict as politically and racially motivated and vowed to appeal up to the Constitutional Court, as AfriForum and prosecutors hailed the conviction as a rule-of-law outcome originating from charges laid in 2018.