South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party leader Julius Malema walks after proceedings on the day he appears at court for a pre-sentencing hearing after being convicted of charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in public, in East London, South Africa, April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Esa Alexander
The political career of Julius Malema, one of South Africa’s most polarizing public figures, hung in the balance Wednesday as a magistrate’s court in KwaNompo City — formerly known as East London — heard arguments over whether the firebrand lawmaker should be sent to prison for firing a rifle at a public rally.
State prosecutors wasted no time pressing for the harshest possible outcome, demanding that Malema receive the maximum 15-year sentence for his role in the 2018 incident, in which he discharged a weapon before a crowd of supporters. For the prosecution, the case goes beyond one man’s actions — it strikes at the heart of public accountability.
“The accused is a political leader with a huge following … young people emulate this kind of behaviour,” prosecutor Joel Cesar told the court. “He’s a member of parliament, a lawmaker, but he breaks the law.”
Malema, 45, leads the Economic Freedom Fighters, the fourth-largest party in South Africa’s parliament and a movement that has built a fervent base particularly among young, Black South Africans disillusioned by the enduring economic inequalities that have persisted more than three decades after the fall of white minority rule in 1994. He was convicted last year on charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place, having maintained throughout his trial that the gun was nothing more than a toy.
His legal team pushed back firmly against the prosecution’s call for imprisonment, contending that their client had no intention of endangering anyone and that the discharge was a celebratory gesture rather than a threatening one. They urged the magistrate to consider a non-custodial penalty, such as a fine.
The stakes could not be higher politically. Under South African law, any prison sentence exceeding 12 months — once all appeals are exhausted — would automatically disqualify Malema from sitting in parliament, dealing a potentially crippling blow to the EFF’s leadership structure and legislative influence at a time when the party remains a vocal and disruptive force in national politics.
The hearing was adjourned and is set to continue Thursday, but Malema made clear he had no intention of quietly accepting whatever the court decides. Speaking from a makeshift podium erected outside the courthouse to address hundreds of supporters who had gathered in a show of solidarity, he declared that he would appeal any sentence handed down against him — a signal that this legal battle is far from its final chapter.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah