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Malema convicted of discharging a firearm in public at a 2018 EFF rally.
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Maximum penalty for the charge is 15 years in prison.
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The conviction adds to a prior hate speech ruling earlier in 2025.
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Pre-sentencing is scheduled for January 2026.
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Malema plans to appeal up to South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
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Incident followed a complaint from Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum.
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Legal outcomes could affect Malema’s eligibility to serve as an MP.
South African opposition leader Julius Malema has been found guilty of discharging a firearm in public during a 2018 Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) event, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment.
The incident occurred at the EFF’s fifth-anniversary celebrations in the Eastern Cape, where Malema reportedly fired multiple live rounds from a stage filled with supporters. His former bodyguard, charged alongside him, was acquitted.
This latest conviction adds to a series of legal issues for Malema, who was convicted of hate speech just two months prior. Known for his outspoken positions on land reform and wealth redistribution, Malema has frequently criticized South Africa’s white minority, intensifying long-standing racial tensions.
The charges against Malema included unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, public discharge of the weapon, and reckless endangerment. Court proceedings revealed that he fired between 14 and 15 live rounds in front of thousands of attendees. Pre-sentencing has been scheduled for January 2026, giving Malema the opportunity to present a case for a reduced sentence.
Despite the conviction, Malema remains defiant, asserting that the legal outcome will not deter his political agenda and indicating plans to appeal the ruling up to the Constitutional Court.
The legal case originated when Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum filed a complaint after a video of the 2018 rally went viral. The group had previously filed a hate speech complaint that led to Malema’s conviction earlier this year by South Africa’s equality court.
Malema’s actions and rhetoric have drawn international attention. His comments about white South Africans have been widely condemned, and he was denied entry into the United Kingdom over his statements supporting Hamas and his remarks on racial issues. The leader’s approach to political mobilization, particularly his use of incendiary language and public firearm use, has been highlighted by South African political figures as emblematic of a culture of violence promoted by the EFF.
Legal analysts note that a prison sentence exceeding 12 months without the option of a fine would disqualify Malema from serving as a Member of Parliament, although the ban only applies after the appeal process is completed.
