Judgment expected in Julius Malema's firearm discharge case

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema will return to the East London Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning, where judgment is expected in his firearm discharge case.

Malema was in court on Monday, but proceedings were dominated by Magistrate Twanet Olivier's recap of witness testimonies since the trial began.

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She explained this was to provide Malema with context on how the court reached its decision.

Malema and his bodyguard, Adrian Snyman, face charges under the Firearms Control Act, including unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

He is alleged to have fired shots during a 2018 rally in Mdantsane, near a large crowd of EFF supporters.

What many in the EFF expected to be a quick judgment day for their leader, Malema, instead turned into an eight-hour sitting, with the presiding magistrate going over every detail of the trial.

The recap is set to continue Wednesday morning, but the magistrate has assured that judgment will be handed down by the end of Tuesday.

Magistrate Olivier said revisiting the evidence provides context for how the court arrived at its decision.

"The court will then proceed with the continuation of judgment in this matter. We will now deal with the evidence of Warrant Officer Amanda Steenkamp. The witness is a SAPS member, stationed at the facial identification unit. She testified that facial or image comparison is the process of using facial comparison and image mapping techniques."

Addressing supporters after court proceedings, EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini said the party is frustrated with the slow pace of the trial’s conclusion.

“The judge must just deliver the judgment instead of telling us everything that happened during the trial. We’re tired of being in court. We wasted the entire day listening to the recap.”

If convicted for more than 12 months without a fine, Malema could be barred from being a member of Parliament.