By Anita Dangazele
- The state wants Julius Malema to go to prison for 15 years for firing a rifle at a 2018 rally.
- Lawyers for Julius Malema asked the magistrate to give him a fine because no one was hurt during the shooting.
Julius Malema will find out his punishment when a magistrate sentences him on Thursday morning.
Families and supporters gathered at the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday to hear the final arguments.
The case is about a 2018 rally in Mdantsane. Malema fired a rifle in front of more than 20,000 people. A video of the shooting spread widely.
In 2025, the court found him guilty of breaking gun laws. Magistrate Twanette Olivier will deliver her judgment at 09:00 on Thursday.
Prosecutor Joel Cesar asked the court for 15 years in prison to send a clear message to the public. He said Malema is a Member of Parliament who should know the law.
Cesar argued that firing the gun put thousands in danger. He said it was a miracle no one was hurt.
“In this instance, the accused did not just fire one shot, which we could have considered as an accident. He was malicious, to say the least,” said Cesar.
Malema’s lawyer, Laurence Hodes, said jail would be unfair. He asked the court to consider a fine because nobody was injured.
“What we say is that we have illustrated that mere possession does not always mean there should be incarceration. Each case must be evaluated on its facts and the facts of this case are indeed unique,” said Hodes.
Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi said similar cases without injuries do not usually lead to prison. He called the state’s request extreme.
“It’s absurd that they (the prosecutors) want not only to send him to prison, but to send him for 15 years. It’s a game that they’re playing to inflame the passions of the public,” said Ngcukaitobi.
Pictured above: Julius Malema in the dock at the East London Magistrate’s Court where he faces sentencing after firing a rifle at a 2018 rally.
Image source: Supplied
