EFF leader Julius Malema has been granted leave to appeal his five-year sentence handed down at the regional court in KuGompo City on Thursday morning.
Malema’s application to appeal against his conviction was, however, denied by magistrate Twanet Olivier.
More members gather at the Johannesburg High Court pic.twitter.com/945MfZfJWK
— Thabo Tshabalala (@Thabo_Tshaba) April 16, 2026
He was released on bail.
Malema was found guilty in January of unlawfully discharging a firearm during the EFF’s fifth anniversary celebrations in July 2018, at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape.
At the rally, Malema fired a semi-automatic rifle into the air.
WATCH | EFFs Nkululeko Dunga addresses the crowd outside the Johannesburg high court, this after the East London magistrate granted the leave to appeal.
— Koena Mashale (@Koena_xM) April 16, 2026
The party’s leader is out on bail after he was sentenced for five years. @Sowetan1981 pic.twitter.com/zJPIUrJY1t
He was found guilty on five counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharge of a firearm in a built-up area and reckless endangerment.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Malema was sentenced to an effective five years’ imprisonment.
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