Political parties weigh in on Malema sentencing

Political parties have largely welcomed the conviction of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, saying it sends a strong message that neither prominent figures nor politicians are above the law.

However, the Good Party said it feels the five-year sentence that Malema will now be appealing is too harsh.

Despite the state requesting a 15-year sentence, Malema has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment and R60,000 in fines.

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) new leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, said that with gun violence out of control in the country, it’s important to punish such crimes harshly.

"It’s important to punish illegal firearm crimes harshly. Only when people understand that there are consequences for crime will we get gun violence under control in South Africa."

While the Good Party’s Brett Herron said that when politicians are perceived to break the law without legal accountability, it destroys public trust in the State and allows for corruption and authoritarianism to take root.

READ: FF Plus says Malema must lose his seat as MP if he fails to overturn his sentence

But he cautioned against justice bowing to public pressure or to achieve political ends.

Herron said while leaders must be held to the highest standards of conduct, the prison term meted out to Julius Malema feels harsh.

The African Christian Democratic Party, meanwhile, said Malema’s crimes are not minor, and he put lives at risk and undermined public safety when he fired a rifle into the crowd at a party rally in 2018.

The party said this case sends a clear message that equality before the law is not just an ideal but a practice that must be upheld consistently.

At the same time, the Freedom Front Plus said it will insist Malema loses his parliamentary seat in line with Constitutional provisions if his appeal is unsuccessful.