Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen South Africans are divided over what sentence EFF leader Julius Malema should be given for violating the country’s gun laws. Malema will appear at the East London Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where his pre-sentencing hearings will begin.
He was found guilty of violating the law by being in possession of an illegal firearm and being reckless while endangering the lives of others. This stems from his party’s rally in 2018, when he fired several rounds into the air. He allegedly did this to rouse up the crowds at the gathering.
The maximum sentence for violating the Firearms Control Act is 15 years in prison, but some believe he could come out with a slap on the wrist. This case comes at a time when the country’s judicial independence has come under the spotlight, along with that of other state agencies, following allegations by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Lobby group AfriForum recently toldThe Citizenthat it expects a fair sentence for Malema and believes a fine would set a wrong precedent for the country.
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“He should receive a fair sentence which is suitable for the charges that he has been found guilty of. If you look at these charges, for instance, the possession of an illegal firearm is a serious charge. If he gets away with a fine, it will send a very bad message to the rest of South Africa and reinforce people’s perceptions that certain politicians, and others who are politically connected, are above the law.
That will be a travesty of justice,” said AfriForum spokesperson Jacques Broodryk. “I have faith in the criminal justice system, and if I look at the minimum sentence for these types of charges, I do believe that Mr Malema will receive a prison sentence. How long will that be is in the magistrate’s hands?
“Our point of view is that we cannot afford to live in a country where a perception is created that there arerules for certain types of peopleand rules for others, that creates a dynamic of another group oppressing the other,” he added. The EFF has appealed to South Africans to support Malema at the hearing. Scores of supporters are expected to be at the East London Magistrate’s court in solidarity with their commander-in-chief (CIC). Duduzane Zuma, the son of MK party leader and former president Jacob Zuma, has also thrown his support behind Malema, suggesting that the EFF leader is being persecuted in the courts.
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