JUST IN: High Court gives Malema permission to appeal firearm conviction
Malema was found guilty of contravening the Firearms Control Act by the East London Magistrate's Court last year and handed an effective five years in direct imprisonment by Magistrate Twanet Olivier in April.
Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has been granted leave to appeal both his conviction and a five-year prison sentence in a firearm case stemming from a 2018 EFF rally in Mdantsane. The Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda granted the application on Monday, stating that there were compelling reasons for the matter to be referred to a Full Bench of the High Court.
Malema was previously granted leave to appeal his sentence but not his conviction, which was handed down in October 2025. The case revolves around EFF's fifth-anniversary celebrations at Sisa Dukashe Stadium, where Malema was filmed firing a rifle into the air. He was convicted of five firearm-related charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, reckless endangerment, and failing to take reasonable precautions to avoid danger to a person or property.
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