South African opposition leader Julius Malema has been found guilty of multiple firearm-related offences, including illegal possession of a gun, unlawful possession of ammunition, reckless endangerment, and firing a semi-automatic weapon in public. These crimes, committed during his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party’s fifth anniversary celebrations in 2018, carry a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison under South Africa’s Firearms Control Act.
The conviction stems from a widely circulated video showing Malema discharging between 14 and 15 live rounds on stage in front of more than 20,000 supporters in the Eastern Cape. Prosecutors argued the incident posed serious risks to public safety and undermined the rule of law. Malema, however, claimed in court that the firearm was not his and that he had fired it only to energize the crowd. His former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was acquitted of related charges.
The ruling comes just weeks after Malema was convicted of hate speech, further cementing his reputation as one of South Africa’s most divisive political figures. Known for his fiery rhetoric and calls for the seizure of white-owned land, Malema has repeatedly clashed with the country’s white minority and stirred racial tensions decades after the end of apartheid. In August, the equality court found his statements encouraging violence against white South Africans amounted to incitement to harm, a judgment his party dismissed as politically motivated.
Malema appeared defiant outside the East London regional court after the verdict, telling supporters that “going to prison or death is a badge of honour” and pledging to appeal the decision all the way to the Constitutional Court if necessary. He added: “We cannot be scared of prison [or] to die for the revolution. Whatever they want to do, they must know we will never retreat.”
The prosecution was triggered after Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum opened a case when the gunfire video went viral. AfriForum has a history of bitter disputes with Malema and the EFF, having also been behind hate speech complaints that led to his previous conviction. His provocative remarks — such as chanting “Kill the Boer, Kill the farmer” and urging supporters not to fear violence in pursuit of revolution — have sparked outrage both locally and internationally.
The fallout from Malema’s rhetoric has even reached foreign governments. In 2019, US President Donald Trump cited videos of Malema during a tense meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, framing him as proof of “white genocide” in South Africa a claim that has been widely discredited. Malema was also denied entry to the UK in 2020 over his support for Hamas and comments about white South Africans, with the Home Office deeming him “non-conducive to the public good.”
Political opponents welcomed his conviction, saying it exposed a pattern of reckless behavior. Ian Cameron of the Democratic Alliance argued that Malema embodies a “culture of chaos, violence, and criminality” and warned that firing live rounds into a crowd exemplifies the EFF’s disregard for law and order.
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