SA's Malema Guilty of Firearm Law Breach at Rally

Johannesburg, Oct 1 (AP) South African opposition leader Julius Malema was found guilty on Wednesday of breaching firearm laws in connection with a 2018 incident in which he was filmed firing a rifle at a political rally.

Malema, who leads the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters, faced charges for contravening the Firearms Control Act. His former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, accused of providing Malema with the weapon, was also charged but was acquitted. Malema alleged that the magistrate's decision was racist, noting Snyman's acquittal and his status as a white individual.

The incident became widely known when a video of Malema firing the rifle at his party's fifth anniversary event in Eastern Cape went viral in 2018. Afriforum, a lobby group representing Afrikaner interests, initiated criminal charges against him.

Despite Malema's defense that the firearm captured in the video was a toy gun, Magistrate Twanet Olivier dismissed this claim. Addressing his supporters outside the East London Magistrates Court, Malema announced his intention to appeal the verdict, potentially to the Constitutional Court.

Though facing a potential 15-year prison sentence, there is no mandatory minimum sentence, allowing the magistrate discretion to be lenient. Sentencing is scheduled for January 23 of the following year.

Malema established the Economic Freedom Fighters, now the fourth-largest political party in South Africa, securing 9% of the vote in last year's general elections. He is a polarizing figure due to his party's controversial policies, such as advocating for the expropriation of white-owned land without compensation and the nationalization of mines and banks.

Notably, Malema appeared in a video presented by US President Donald Trump during a contentious meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year. Trump has erroneously claimed that there is an ongoing “white genocide” in South Africa.

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