Malema defiant after guilty verdict
EFF leader Julius Malema has vowed to challenge the court ruling that found him guilty on five charges, including the unlawful discharge of a firearm during a party rally in the Eastern Cape back in 2018.
The verdict, delivered by Magistrate Twanet Olivier at the East London Magistrates Court, came after a trial that dragged on for seven years.
Addressing a crowd of supporters outside the court on October 1, 2025, Malema made it clear he would not accept the judgment.
“Comrades, we must not be deterred. We leave here highly determined. We’re going to fight this up to the Constitutional Court. After sentencing, we will immediately put in an appeal because we think the judgment is faulty,” Malema declared.
He noted that his co-accused, Adriaan Snyman, was acquitted, calling the decision “highly appreciated” while insisting that he had been singled out.
“They were not looking for accused number two. They were just playing games and today they came out openly,” he said.
Malema also framed the ruling as part of a broader political struggle, telling supporters that “a revolutionary must not be scared to die for the revolution.”
He added that prison or even death would be an honor if it was in service of the EFF’s fight for land expropriation.
The party confirmed that the matter will return to court in January for sentencing, where Malema intends to appeal immediately.
CIC Julius Malema, East London Magistrate’s Court Appearance, Day 3 https://t.co/fz07lAM5TR
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) October 1, 2025
