The East London Regional Court has postponed the public firearm discharge case against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, to 1 November for closing arguments.
Malema has been in court this week where he testified and was also cross-examined by the defence. On Thursday, 20 June, the defence closed its case.
MALEMA’S FIREARM DISCHARGE CASE POSTPONED
Malema and security company director Adriaan Snyman are charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, discharge of a firearm in a built-up area, failure to take reasonable precaution to person or property, and reckless endangerment to person or property.
As previously reported, Malema allegedly fired a rifle at an EFF rally in Mdantsane, East London, in 2018.
The EFF was celebrating its fifth anniversary in East London. In a video that was widely circulated on social media platforms, party leaders could be seen dancing and singing on the stage and then Malema allegedly is seen firing the rifle into the air before he hands it over to Adriaan Snyman. Malema then give’s EFF chairman Dali Mpofu a high five
The firearm allegedly belongs to a company where Synman is the director. However, during court proceedings, Malema insisted that the rifle was a toy. He did not carry a firearm with live ammunition on the day.
In 2023, Malema and Snyman subsequently applied for a discharge, according to Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which the court dismissed.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Eastern Cape, Luxolo Tyali said from Tuesday, 18 June, the defence led the evidence of two expert witnesses, in firearms control and forensic ballistics, for Snyman. Malema took the stand in his defence.
“All the witnesses were cross-examined by advocate Joel Cesar for the state, after which the matter was postponed for all parties to submit written heads of arguments before the next court appearance,” Tyali explained.