South Africans Debate As Elon Musk Calls Julius Malema a Genocidal Maniac

• Tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk reacted to the news that Economic Freedom Fighters president Julius Malema was found guilty
• Malema appeared before the East London Magistrates Court on 1 October, where he was found guilty of discharging a firearm in 2018 in the Eastern Cape
• Musk's response caused a debate on social media, as while others supported him, some slammed him for his view

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, parliamentary proceedings, and politician-related news, as well as elections, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

EASTERN CAPE — X CEO and tech billionaire Elon Musk called for Economic Freedom Fighters president Julius Malema to be thrown in prison after he was found guilty of contravening the Firearms Control Act.

Malema appeared before the East London Magistrates Court on 1 October, where he was convicted of five charges. The charges related to the incident where he discharged an assault rifle at a rally in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape in 2018. Malema's former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was acquitted of three charges.

What did Musk say?

Musk responded on his @elonmusk X account to a thread on X. News24 posted an article about Malema's verdict. An X user asked Grok what the implications of this verdict were. Musk responded to the response Grok gave.

"That genocidal maniac needs to be in prison," Musk said.

Read the X tweet here:

What happened after the conviction?

Malema addressed members and supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters outside the courthouse. He condemned the ruling and said that he would appeal it. The Red Berets and EFF MP Naledi Chirwa also condemned the ruling.

Malema said that he is strengthening his legal team to prepare to appeal the sentence. He said that he would enlist the services of Senior Council Advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi to launch an appeal for him.

What did South Africans say?'

Netizens commenting on Musk's response debated his tweet.

Narb3h said:

"I wonder how many people opened this post thinking you're talking about Netanyahu."

LetsTalkSolutions said:

"Problem is: will he have the same riots as what happened when they put Zumas in prison? Julius will be out due to health concerns before he goes to prison. Typical playbook."

Jay said:

"You should help find criminals, instead of letting your staff pass judgments."

Andre Buckingham asked:

"What about the other genocidal maniac?"

RealDollydeLeon said:

"Justice must be served. Prison is a deterrent."

EFF supporter burns impepho

In a related article, Briefly News reported that an EFF supporter burned impepho and chanted after Malema was found guilty. The incident took place outside the East London Magistrates Court.

The supporter was recorded performing a ritual, which he said was at the behest of the ancestors. He burned imphepho and said that the ancestors would overturn the ruling. A video of the incident went viral.

Source: Briefly News