The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomes the decision of the High Court in Makhanda to grant EFF President and Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema leave to appeal his conviction in the firearm matter. The order confirms that our legal team has placed sufficient grounds before the Court for the matter to be heard by a higher court.
This outcome vindicates what we said when CIC was convicted, that the judgment of the East London Magistrates Court is open to serious legal challenge and must be tested on appeal.
We also raised serious concerns about the conduct of the prosecution itself. Mr Snyman, President Malema’s co-accused, who has since been acquitted, had his firearm returned to him by the State even before judgment was delivered. This goes against established legal procedure, where such decisions are ordinarily reserved for the presiding judge, and the judge herself was unaware of it.
The conduct of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in this matter has also shown an extraordinary and deeply suspicious appetite for imprisonment. This is the same prosecuting authority that routinely fails to secure convictions in cases of violent crime, including murder, rape and armed robbery, where victims suffer irreversible harm. Yet in a case where no one was injured, the NPA mobilised its full capacity to ensure that President Malema is convicted and incarcerated.
The EFF has consistently maintained that this case is not about firearm control. It is a politically motivated prosecution, initiated by AfriForum, an organisation with a long record of hostility towards the EFF and its leadership. Its effect is to remove the leader of the most militant opposition formation in Parliament and to weaken a movement that speaks unapologetically for the landless, the jobless, and the working class.
The EFF has respected due process at every stage. The President attended every court appearance and complied with every condition, and he will continue to do so. We are confident that once an appeal court reviews the record, the conviction will not stand.
The EFF’s financial resources are crucial for its campaign activities and outreach.
Firedog
Padkos – food for the journey [putt-koss] Food that you will pack and take on the road – some sandwiches, drinks, chips, fruit and biltong and you have your padkos!
hoover spark
Yugoslavia: You have two cows. They die right after giving birth to 20 new cows.