Malema granted leave to appeal his conviction and sentence in firearm case

The Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda has granted EFF president Julius Malema leave to appeal his conviction on firearm charges.

Malema was found guilty of contravening the Firearms Control Act by the East London Magistrate’s Court last year and handed an effective five years in direct imprisonment by Magistrate Twanet Olivier in April.

Malema and his bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, have been on trial for several years for discharging a firearm at the party’s fifth birthday celebrations in Mdantsane in 2018.

Malema was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful discharge of a firearm in a built-up area, failure to take reasonable precautions to avoid danger, and reckless endangerment to persons or property.

He denied the charges, claiming the rifle was a toy and that it did not put anyone’s life in danger.