{"id":33789,"date":"2025-10-01T18:22:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/?p=33789"},"modified":"2025-10-01T18:22:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:22:32","slug":"going-to-prison-or-facing-death-is-a-badge-of-honour-says-malema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/2025\/10\/01\/going-to-prison-or-facing-death-is-a-badge-of-honour-says-malema\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGoing to prison or facing death is a badge of honour,\u201d says Malema"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_33791\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33791\" style=\"width: 770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-33791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-770x514.jpg\" alt=\"Image credit: Economic Freedom Fighters, X\" width=\"770\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-770x514.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33791\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Economic Freedom Fighters, X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, says he will appeal the East London Magistrates\u2019 Court ruling that found him guilty of firing a gun at a 2018 rally, along with other related charges.<\/p>\n<p>The conviction carries a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Outside the court, Malema dismissed the judgment as flawed and accused Magistrate Twanet Olivier of racism. His co-accused, former bodyguard Adriaan Snyman, was acquitted.<\/p>\n<p>The verdict followed two days of proceedings during which Magistrate Olivier delivered a detailed summary of the evidence and witness testimonies.<\/p>\n<p>The case stems from the EFF\u2019s fifth anniversary rally at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, where Malema was accused of discharging a firearm.<\/p>\n<p>The case was initiated by lobby group AfriForum, which welcomed the ruling. AfriForum spokesperson, Jacques Broodryk, described the verdict as a victory for justice and accountability, stressing that no one is above the law.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The evidence overwhelmingly proved that Malema committed several serious offences under the Firearms Control Act, and the verdict confirms that those who think they are untouchable will eventually be held accountable, no matter how long it takes,&#8221; explains Broodryk.<\/p>\n<p>Malema will return to court on 23 January for pre-sentencing proceedings.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"127\" data-end=\"311\">Speaking to supporters, he urged them not to take court outcomes to heart.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-33789-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FS6mnzRSxItytNSy.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FS6mnzRSxItytNSy.mp4\">https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FS6mnzRSxItytNSy.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u2666\ufe0fMust Watch\u2666\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>The EFF President and Commander in Chief <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Julius_S_Malema?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Julius_S_Malema<\/a> addressing fighters outside the East London Magistrate\u2019s Court.<\/p>\n<p>President emphasised that as a Revolutionary going to prison or death is a badge of honour we cannot be scared of prison we cannot be scared\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J85GbccuwY\">pic.twitter.com\/J85GbccuwY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EFFSouthAfrica\/status\/1973339294983934101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"127\" data-end=\"311\">Malema also told his supporters that he doesn&#8217;t fear going to prison, emphasizing that true revolutionaries view imprisonment and even death as honorable sacrifices necessary for their cause.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"240\" data-end=\"393\">&#8220;As a revolutionary, going to prison or facing death is a badge of honour. We cannot be scared of prison, nor scared to die for the revolution,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"395\" data-end=\"623\">&#8220;You must not be deterred. We leave here highly determined to fight this all the way to the Constitutional Court. We return on January 23 for sentencing, and after that, we will appeal because we believe the judgment is flawed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"625\" data-end=\"855\">Meanwhile, Snyman\u2019s legal representative revealed that the former bodyguard intends to take legal action against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the police, claiming the charges against him were politically motivated.<\/p>\n\t<div class=\"qtmplayer-playlist-large\">\n\t\t<ul class=\"qtmplayer-playlist\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"qtmplayer-trackitem qtmplayer-track-inpage\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-100x100.jpg\" alt=\"cover\">\t\t<span \t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-cover=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z-370x370.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-file=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FS6mnzRSxItytNSy.mp4\n8462014\nvideo\/mp4\n\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-title=\"\u201cGoing to prison or facing death is a badge of honour,\u201d says Malema\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-artist=\"Nokwazi Qumbisa\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-link=\"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/2025\/10\/01\/going-to-prison-or-facing-death-is-a-badge-of-honour-says-malema\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-icon=\"file_download\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-qtmplayer-type=\"track\"\n\t\t\t class=\"qtmplayer-play qtmplayer-link-sec qtmplayer-play-btn\"><i class='material-icons' aria-label=\"Play\">play_arrow<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"qtmplayer-tit\">\u201cGoing to prison or facing death is a badge of honour,\u201d says Malema<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"qtmplayer-art\">Nokwazi Qumbisa<\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\n<p>The EFF has dismissed the judgment, saying it forms part of a broader pattern of politically motivated prosecutions that its leader Julius Malema has faced over the years.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The EFF is therefore not surprised nor deterred by this judgment. We will engage the judgment further, seek comprehensive legal advice, and move with the attention to<br \/>\nappeal this ruling, trusting that higher courts will expose the weaknesses and contradictions of this prosecution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The EFF Statement on Judgement Against CIC Malema on Firearm Trial<\/p>\n<p>-It is no surprise that the state has pursued this matter to this point, for there have always been coordinated attempts to discredit and sabotage the EFF and its leadership. From the moment CIC Malema and the\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FRsGdbCe46\">pic.twitter.com\/FRsGdbCe46<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EFFSouthAfrica\/status\/1973323913061888078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>South Africans have shared mixed reactions to the court&#8217;s outcomes.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Julius_S_Malema?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Julius_S_Malema<\/a> we might disagree with you in many fronts but when a black brother is persecuted like this, we stand with him. You are not alone my former CIC. Be strong, pray to God that lives within you. You&#8217;ll overcome and come out a better man from this setback. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D6DeX5zykw\">https:\/\/t.co\/D6DeX5zykw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bible Decoloniser\/ Carbonated being (@nguboaihlangani) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nguboaihlangani\/status\/1973326010474270929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Julius_S_Malema?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Julius_S_Malema<\/a> this persecution is inconsequential in the grand scheme of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EFFSouthAfrica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@EFFSouthAfrica<\/a>&#8216;s history.<br \/>\nRemain strong, CIC, for your story in inextricably linked to the wellbeing of this nation.<br \/>\n\u2764\ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc9a\u270a\ud83c\udfff <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5XX1isf7Fw\">pic.twitter.com\/5XX1isf7Fw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Got T?\ud83d\ude44\ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6 (@Ms_Phiri) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ms_Phiri\/status\/1973368277788393568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, says he will appeal the East London Magistrates\u2019 Court ruling that found him guilty of firing a gun at a 2018 rally, along with other related charges. The conviction carries a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Outside the court, Malema ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":33791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1356,1360,1359,1358,1318,1357,1355],"class_list":["post-33789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-adriaan-snyman","tag-afriforum","tag-anniversary-rally","tag-discharge-case","tag-eff","tag-guily-verdict","tag-julius-malema"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/malema-face-G2HJLvSXIAEtz1z.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33789"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33795,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33789\/revisions\/33795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yfm.co.za\/devworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}