Gareth Cliff Gives Julius Malema Advice After Five-Year Prison Sentence: “It’s Not Going to Go Well”

• On Monday, 20 April 2026, Gareth Cliff advised Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema ahead of his appeal
• On Thursday, 16 April 2026, the politician was sentenced to five years behind bars by Magistrate Twanet Olivier
• In a video that premiered on The Truth Report YouTube channel, Cliff shared what Malema must do to boost the chances of his appeal succeeding

Seasoned broadcaster Gareth Cliff has offered EFF leader Julius Malema advice on how to ensure his appeal against a five-year sentence is successful.

On Thursday, 16 April 2026, Magistrate Twanet Olivier handed Malema a five-year prison sentence following his 2025 conviction for firing a rifle in ⁠the air at a party rally.

The politician was allowed to go home after being handed a five-year direct imprisonment sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm, because he was granted leave to appeal.

Gareth Cliff gave Julius Malema advice on how to increase the chances of his five-year sentence being overturned.

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Gareth Cliff advises Julius Malema ahead of appeal

In a video that premiered on The Truth Report YouTube channel on Monday, 20 April 2026, the former Idols SA judge criticised the EFF leader for insulting Magistrate Twanet Olivier while addressing party supporters after he was handed a five-year sentence.

Cliff also accused some South Africans of hypocrisy, saying they condemned United States Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell III for criticising the judiciary, yet stayed silent when Malema insulted the magistrate.

“These are the same people who were horrified and were clutching their pearls just a few weeks ago when the ambassador from the United States to South Africa, Brent Bozell, said he respects the judiciary. He just thinks they're wrong. They all went, ’He's questioning the credibility of our judiciary.’ Those same people are not making a single sound about Julius calling the judge an ugly old white woman. So, we have hypocrisy as usual on the left,” he said.

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Gareth Cliff warned that Julius Malema risked ruining his chances of successfully appealing his sentence if he continued publicly insulting members of the judiciary.

“I think that we have a number of very, very good judges in this country, and by and large, the kind of ideological rhetoric that politicians depend upon to slither out of situations where they've got themselves into trouble. It doesn't normally apply in the courts. The courts are interested in facts. They're interested in who, when, where, what, and how. And that's all been dealt with. But it's not going to go well if he continues to say terrible things about judges,” Cliff added.

Watch the video below:

How much Julius Malema’s sentence appeal process could cost

Meanwhile, Briefly News did a breakdown of how much Julius Malema could spend appealing his five-year imprisonment after he was found guilty of discharging a firearm into the air in 2018.

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The financial breakdown included the daily court rates charged by Malema's lawyers, Advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi SC and Advocate Laurence Hodes SC.

Source: Briefly News