By Anita Dangazele
- Julius Malema will appear in the East London Magistrate’s Court this week to hear his sentence for firing a gun.
- The state wants Julius Malema to spend 15 years in prison for firing a weapon at a 2018 public rally.
The Economic Freedom Fighters will hold a vigil at the Jan Smuts Stadium in KuGompo on Tuesday night.
The event comes a day before Julius Malema returns to the East London Magistrate’s Court.
Malema will be in court on 15 and 16 April to hear arguments before his sentencing.
This follows his conviction for having an illegal firearm and firing a gun in public.
The charges come from a 2018 rally in Mdantsane where he fired a gun.
He faces a possible minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. The court can give a lighter sentence if there are exceptional circumstances.
If he is sentenced to more than 12 months without the option to pay a fine, he could lose his seat in Parliament.
The party says the case is politically motivated.
Last week, the party said the state wants the full 15-year sentence.
“The state is going for the kill, they want a 15-year jail term and we are prepared legally. We will see next week but they are going for the kill,” Malema said.
He said his legal team was ready to appeal after seeing the state’s arguments.
“We have already said we would appeal the judgment. You can see that someone is doing everything in their power to get me into jail. So I have no problem with that,” he said.
He said they would continue to fight the matter legally.
Malema was previously charged with his former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman. Snyman was accused of handing over the rifle used in the incident.
The charges against him were dropped because of a lack of evidence.
The court is expected to hear arguments from both sides before deciding on a sentence.
Pictured above: EFF supporters gathered in KuGompo ahead of Julius Malema’s court appearance over his firearm conviction in January.
Image source: Economic Freedom Fighters
