Malema remains in dock as Magistrate reviews evidence in firearm discharge case

It has been a long day for EFF leader Julius Malema, who has spent the entire day in the dock as the East London Magistrates’ Court delivers judgment in his firearm discharge case.

Presiding Magistrate Twanet Olivier has been reviewing all the evidence presented since the commencement of the trial years ago and will subsequently hand down judgment.

Malema, along with his personal protection officer Adrian Snyman, is accused of breaching the Firearms Control Act, including the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

It is alleged that Malema fired shots from a rifle at a 2018 rally in Mdantsane, near a large crowd of EFF supporters.

EFF leader Julius Malema has been sitting quietly in the dock for over six hours, listening as Magistrate Twanet Olivier reads out the details of every testimony presented during the trial.

The magistrate explained that it is important to go through all the details of the trial before handing down judgment to Malema and his co-accused bodyguard. She said this process would take several hours to conclude but is necessary to provide context on how the court arrived at its decision.

“I need to repeat evidence and certain aspects in cross-examination, which will be relevant when the court arrives at its reasoning and finding. So I cannot skip any portion,” Magistrate Olivier said.

She added that the handing down of judgment is unlikely to be concluded today and that the court will decide whether proceedings can continue beyond court hours or resume tomorrow to officially deliver the judgment.