The trial of both Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and his co-accused bodyguard Adriaan Snyman will on Monday begin at the East London Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape.
These charges followed a video of the EFF leadership discharging what appeared to be an automatic rifle that emerged out of the party’s fifth birthday celebrations at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, outside East London, in 2018.
Malema was charged with the illegal possession of firearms, illegal possession of ammunition as well as the contravention of the Firearm Controls Act.
Snyman is also facing a charge of contravening the Firearms Control Act.
EFF Spokesperson Vuyani Pambo says that this is just a waste of time, suggesting that those that are behind these charges are merely trying to derail their programs.
In August 2018, minority rights group AfriForum laid criminal charges against Malema for violating gun laws:
