Julius Malema found guilty in firearm case

EFF leader Julius Malema has been found guilty on five counts linked to the discharge of a firearm during the party’s 5th anniversary rally in East London in 2018.

The court ruled that the state had proven its case. This is after footage showed Malema firing a rifle at the packed Sisa Dukashe Stadium. He had denied wrongdoing throughout the trial.

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Magistrate Twanet Olivier handed down judgment after a marathon recap of testimonies. However, Malema’s former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was found not guilty. The case has been postponed to 23 January for sentencing proceedings.

However, while addressing the party’s supporters outside the court, Malema confirmed that he would challenge the decision on the Constitutional Court level.

“We have been for seven years. We are almost at the end, as today she passed her verdict, finding us guilty. But she released accused number two, which is highly appreciated,” said Malema.

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“We know that from the beginning, they had been looking for me. They were not looking for accused number two. They were just playing games, and today they came out openly.

“As a revolutionary, going to prison is an honour. We cannot be scared of prison, we cannot be scared to die for the revolution,” he added.

“So whatever they want to do, they must not know we will never retreat from the ideas and the seven cardinal pillars of the EFF. So comrades, we must not be deterred. We are leaving here highly determined, and we are going to fight this all the way up until the constitutional court.”