Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says as a revolutionary going to prison or facing death is a badge of honour after the East London Regional Court found him guilty of unlawfully discharging a firearm on Wednesday, 1 October.
Julius Malema and his bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, faced charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a populated area, failing to take reasonable precautions for the safety of people or property, and reckless endangerment during the party’s 5th anniversary celebration at a fully-packed stadium in the Eastern Cape.
Initially, the judgement was supposed to be delivered on Monday, 29 September, but was postponed to allow the magistrate to finish reading out the ruling. On Wednesday, Malema’s bodyguard was acquitted.
Live Africa News previously reported that in a widely shared video on social media showed EFF leaders dancing and singing on stage during the celebration. In the footage, Malema allegedly fires a rifle into the air before handing it to his bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman.
Addressing supporters outside court, Malema said he appreciates the fact that his bodyguard has ben acquitted adding that he knew from the beginning that they were after him.
“We cannot be cared of prison, we cannot be scared to die for the revolution. Whatever they want to do, they must know that we will never retreat from the ideas and the seven cardinal pillars of the EFF. At the centre of those is to expropriate land without compensation.
“So, comrades you must not be deterred, we leave here highly determined. We’re going to fight this up to the Constitutional Court, we’re coming on the 23rd of January for sentencing and after that we will immediately put an appeal so that we can go to a higher court because we think the judgement is faulty,” he said.
