EFF slams Malema’s firearm conviction as political targeting ahead of 2026 elections
Julius Malema, leader of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has been found guilty of multiple firearm-related offenses stemming from a 2018 incident during the party’s fifth anniversary celebrations in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape.
Magistrate Twanet Olivier convicted Malema on charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a public place, and reckless endangerment. Malema had claimed the weapon was a toy, but the court rejected this defense .
The EFF has vehemently opposed the verdict, labeling it a politically motivated “witch hunt” aimed at undermining Malema’s leadership.
Party officials, including Head of International Relations Nqobile Mhlongo, argue that the timing of the conviction just ahead of the 2026 municipal elections is suspect. Mhlongo pointed to recent publications portraying Malema negatively and questioned why the case, which had been pending for seven years, was only now concluded .
Malema himself has denounced the ruling as racially biased, noting that his former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, who was acquitted of related charges, is white. He has announced plans to appeal the decision, potentially up to the Constitutional Court .
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 23, 2026. If sentenced to more than a year in prison, Malema would be disqualified from holding a parliamentary seat under South Africa’s constitution .
As the 2026 municipal elections approach, the implications of this case are likely to remain a focal point in South Africa’s political discourse.