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46m ago

South African Court Convicts Julius Malema on Five Firearm Counts as Bodyguard Is Acquitted

Malema plans to challenge the ruling through higher courts, with pre-sentencing scheduled for January 23, 2026.

EFF leader Julius Malema appears at the East London Magistrate’s Court, where he was convicted of various firearm charges. (Photo: EFF / Facebook)
FILE - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), leader Julius Malema attend a final election rally in Polokwane, South Africa, on May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), addresses supporters as he leads a protest towards the Constitutional Court, where the political party is challenging the National Assembly’s rejection of a report that could have led to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa due to the Phala Phala scandal at his private game farm in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee
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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.
  • Co-accused Adriaan Snyman, Malema’s former bodyguard alleged to have provided the rifle, was found not guilty and discharged.
  • The court admitted authenticated Gearhouse event footage and considered a spent cartridge recovered at the stadium as key evidence, rejecting unauthenticated viral video as primary proof.
  • Sentencing is set for January 23, 2026; Malema could face up to 15 years in prison, and a sentence exceeding one year would make him ineligible to remain in parliament under the constitution.
  • The charges stem from a July 2018 EFF rally in Mdantsane after which AfriForum laid a complaint; outside court Malema denounced the verdict as politically motivated and vowed to appeal up to the Constitutional Court.