Julius Malema, leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters, has been found guilty of violating firearm laws after he was filmed firing a rifle during a political rally in 2018.
The East London Magistrates Court handed down the ruling on Wednesday, concluding that Malema had contravened the Firearms Control Act. Magistrate Twanet Olivier rejected his claim that the weapon seen in the video was merely a toy.
The footage, captured at the EFF’s five-year anniversary rally in the Eastern Cape, quickly spread online and prompted Afriforum, an Afrikaner lobby group, to lay criminal charges.
Adriaan Snyman, Malema’s bodyguard at the time and the man accused of supplying the rifle, was acquitted. Malema condemned the mixed verdict and alleged bias. “This proved the magistrate was racist, because Snyman is white,” he told supporters.
Outside the courthouse, the opposition leader vowed to appeal the judgment. He promised to pursue the case “all the way to the Constitutional Court.”
While the conviction carries a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison, the law sets no mandatory minimum, leaving room for leniency. Sentencing has been scheduled for January 23.
Since founding the EFF, Malema has turned it into South Africa’s fourth-largest political party, securing 9% of the national vote in last year’s election. His platform, which includes calls for land seizures without compensation and nationalizing mines and banks, has cemented his reputation as one of the country’s most divisive political figures.
Malema’s influence has also extended beyond South Africa. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump spotlighted a video clip of him during a heated meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that a “white genocide” is underway in South Africa.
