Julius Malema Weighs In on His Future Depending on Upcoming East London Magistrates Court Ruling

• The president of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, discussed the possible outcomes of his pending sentencing in the Eastern Cape
• Malema is expected to return to the East London Magistrates Court in April for his sentencing after he appeared before the court in early January
• Malema's statements about his view on what would happen sparked a debate online as South Africans weighed in on the case and the conviction

With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

JOHANNESBURG — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president, Julius Malema, said that a prison sentence would not deter him from his revolutionary mission. Malema spoke a week after he appeared before the East London Magistrates Court on 23 January 2026.

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Malema spoke at the EFF's Second Plenum of the 3rd National People's Assembly (NPA) at Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg. The event was held from 30 January to 1 February 2026.

Julius Malema weighs in on possible sentencing

Malema said that when he attends court in East London and they find him guilty and sentence him to a jail term, he is going to appeal. He assured the members that their immediate fears should be removed by the fact that once he appeals, it would suspend the jail sentence that the judge would have imposed on him.

He added that if the court imposes a sentence of more than 12 months without a fine, his Parliament membership would be suspended for five years. But once he appeals, he alleged that the sentence would automatically be suspended.

Malema said that his enemies want to remove him from the Judicial Services Committee, of which he is a member. He added that if he is removed from Parliament, he will serve in the People's Parliament in the EFF's headquarters, the Winnie Mandela House.

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"I was never born to be a member of Parliament. I joined the struggle to liberate the people of South Africa, not to be a Member of Parliament. They can take their Parliament. I'll remain in the struggle. The same way they took my (African National Congress) ANC membership, I remained in the struggle," he said.

Watch the clip on X here:

South Africans weigh in on Malema's statements

Netizens listening to Malema's speech had different views on what he meant.

Velemseni Vilane said:

"I think that Julius Malema will have more impact on the EFF and its structures if he has to work full-time at Winnie Mandela House."

Dr Sankara held a different view:

"Reality starting to sync slowly."

So did JG, who said:

"This guy thinks it's all about him. No one is trying to remove you; it's your actions that remove you."

Johan Maree said:

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"That's okay. We will remove him from where we can so that we limit the damage he wants to do to South Africa."

Mr Golide said:

"The struggle he joined is the struggle to buy slay queens apartments and cars."

Julius Malema questions Helen Zille's mayoral candidacy

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Malema questioned former Western Cape Premier Helen Zille's decision to run for Mayor in Johannesburg. He addressed her candidacy at the 3rd Plenum.

Malema said that the DA's track record in the Western Cape should serve as a warning. He asked what the Democratic Alliance was doing to tackle crime in Cape Town, referring to crime in the Cape Flats.

Source: Briefly News