A South African court on Wednesday found opposition leader Julius Malema guilty of firing an assault rifle in public in 2018, a ruling that could see him barred from parliament.
Malema, head of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the country’s second-largest opposition party, fired the weapon into the air during the party’s fifth anniversary celebration in Eastern Cape province, in violation of the Firearms Control Act.
Malema, who has served as a member of parliament for over a decade, would be ineligible to continue in the role if sentenced to more than a year, under the constitution. He pleaded not guilty, arguing that the gun was a toy.
Magistrate Twanet Olivier, after three days of judgment proceedings, ruled Malema guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, discharging a firearm in a built-up area, and reckless endangerment of people or property. His bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, accused of providing him with the weapon, was acquitted. The judge said a pre-sentencing report would be issued on January 23.
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“This proves that this was a witch hunt to target the president of the EFF and find him guilty no matter how irrational it may be,” the party said in a statement.
Malema’s political style has long divided opinion. His theatrics have angered many white middle-class South Africans, whom he frequently criticises. His refusal to stop singing “Kill the Boer” an apartheid-era resistance song has been interpreted in far-right circles as a call to violence against white farmers, who still own most of the land due to apartheid-era seizures.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump once called for Malema’s arrest during a meeting with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House.
