As Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema awaits sentencing on Friday for unlawfully discharging a firearm, a legal analyst says he has a slim chance of avoiding imprisonment.
Malema was convicted in October for firing a gun at an EFF rally in 2018. The case was brought by lobby group AfriForum.
Legal analyst Advocate Mpilonhle Baloyi dismissed Malema’s claim that the conviction was politically motivated, emphasizing the seriousness of contravening the Firearms Control Act in a country grappling with gun violence.
“He has spoken quite a lot on judicial independence and upholding the rule of law. Here’s a perfect example of himself now in the dock,” Baloyi said. “He needs to show that indeed he abides by the rule of law and he himself is not above the law.”
Malema is expected to be sentenced in the East London Magistrate’s Court.