Warrant of arrest issued for Malema

A warrant of arrest has reportedly been issued for Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema for failing to appear at the East London Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

AfriForum laid charges against Malema after a video emerged in August 2018 of the EFF leader firing what looks like a high-powered automatic rifle into the air at his party’s birthday celebration gathering in the Eastern Cape.

Malema was charged by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on five counts of allegedly discharging a firearm in public and the unlawful possession of a firearm.

UPDATE: Malema unfazed by arrest warrant as NPA confirms ‘matter of procedure’

Video footage emerged showing Malema firing what appeared to be a high-calibre automatic rifle, which led to the EFF being criticised for promoting political violence, with the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) eThekwini Region calling for a probe into the matter and for Malema to be charged under the Firearms Control Act.

Providing clarity on the matter on Jacaranda FM, Ndlozi said at the time: “It was not a real gun, it was a simulation which collaborated with the fireworks. We use it, and we always do, to evoke both the celebrations and the memory of the struggle of our past as black people in South Africa, so it’s not a real firearm, it’s not a firearm, actually, and no bullets were fired […] it’s a toy gun, it’s a toy.”

Speaking to News24, Malema’s legal representative, Ian Levitt, said the warrant of arrest was just a formality and would not be executed. There was reportedly an agreement with the NPA on cases where a postponement was likely.

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