Malema sentencing looms, raising stakes for South Africa’s EFF party
outh African opposition politician Julius Malema, Economic Freedom Fighters leader appears at court for a pre-sentencing hearing after being convicted of charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in public, in East London, South Africa, January 23, 2026. PHOTO | REUTERS
East London. Thousands of supporters of South African opposition politician Julius Malema gathered outside the East London Magistrate’s Court on Friday as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader awaited sentencing over a 2018 incident in which he fired a rifle into the air at a political rally.
Mr Malema, 44, was convicted in October on charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place. He had pleaded not guilty, arguing that the gun involved was a toy.
If the court upholds a prison sentence exceeding 12 months and all appeals are exhausted, Mr Malema would be disqualified from serving in Parliament, dealing a major blow to the EFF, which draws strong support from young South Africans frustrated by slow progress in addressing racial inequality since the end of apartheid.
He faces a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years, although the court could impose a lighter sentence, such as a suspended term or community service, if mitigating factors are considered.
It was not immediately clear whether sentencing would be concluded on Friday. Supporters outside the court waved placards reading “We stand with Julius Malema”, many wearing the party’s signature red berets.
The far-left EFF is the fourth-largest party in South Africa’s Parliament, holding about 10 percent of the seats, and campaigns on policies such as nationalising mines and expropriating land from white farmers.
Political analyst Melanie Verwoerd said the party could struggle without Mr Malema, noting that opinion polls show voters strongly associate the EFF with its leader.
Mr Malema also drew international attention last year during a tense White House meeting in which U.S. President Donald Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over claims of violence against white farmers, citing footage of Mr Malema singing the liberation chant “Kill the Boer”.
Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum, which pushed for charges in the 2018 firearm case, argues that the chant amounts to hate speech and incitement to violence, although South African courts have previously ruled that it is a historical liberation song rather than a literal call to violence.
