EFF Members Clash With AfriForum Officials Inside East London Court After Julius Malema’s Sentencing

• Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) clashed with officials from AfriForum inside the East London Magistrate’s Court
• The incident happened after Julius Malema was sentenced to a direct imprisonment of five years and handed a R60,000 fine
• The Commander-in-Chief of the Red Berets will take the matter to a higher court, as his legal team has been granted leave to appeal the sentence

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

EASTERN CAPE – Tensions boiled over in the East London Magistrate’s Court as Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members clashed with those from AfriForum.

The incident happened after Julius Malema was sentenced to an effective five years behind bars. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader was sentenced to imprisonment of five years and handed a fine of R60,000 after he was convicted on five charges related to the Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000).

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His legal team has since been granted leave to appeal the decision, and Malema will remain out on bail until then. His legal team also indicated that they would petition to challenge the conviction, after Magistrate Twanet Olivier did not grant them leave to appeal to do so.

EFF members clash with AfriForum

Following Malema’s appearance, as people were leaving the court, EFF members clashed with AfriForum officials who were in attendance. In videos of the incident, which have since spread on social media, members of the party could be seen shouting at the AfriForum members.

The EFF members, including Carl Niehaus, could be seen shouting ‘Voetsek’ at the officials from the civil rights organisation. They were also chanting ‘Phansi AfriForum, Phansi’. The members of AfriForum could be seen smiling in the face of the chants, as the situation threatened to get physical at points in the altercation.

Malema and the EFF have repeatedly accused AfriForum of racism and pursuing a ‘racist agenda’ in relation to the firearms case against him. The organisation has denied these claims.

AfriForum's Ernst van Zyl welcomes Malema sentencing

Briefly News reported that AfriForum's Head of Public Relations, Ernst van Zyl, weighed in on the sentence handed down to Malema.

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AfriForum, which laid the charges against Malema following a 2018 EFF rally held in Mdantsane, were pushing for a 15-year jail term.

Van Zyl took to social media to comment on the sentence handed down to Malema, welcoming the ruling.

EFF vows to ban AfriForum if it comes into power

In a related article, EFF has repeated its call to ban AfriForum if it comes into power, following Julius Malema’s five-year prison sentence.

The party blames AfriForum for its role in bringing the firearm case to court and accuses it of spreading false claims.

AfriForum and the NPA, however, welcomed the ruling, saying it proves that everyone is equal before the law.

Source: Briefly News