South African opposition leader Julius Malema is found guilty on gun charges

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African opposition leader Julius Malema was found guilty Wednesday of breaking firearm laws in a 2018 incident where he was filmed firing a rifle at a political rally.

The fiery politician, who leads the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters, was charged with contravening the Firearms Control Act.

His then bodyguard Adriaan Snyman, who was alleged to have given Malema the rifle, was also charged but was found not guilty. Malema said this proved the magistrate was racist, because Snyman is white.

The video of Malema firing the weapon at his party's five-year anniversary in the Eastern Cape province went viral in 2018. An Afrikaner lobby group, Afriforum, brought criminal charges against him.

In his defense, Malema claimed that the firearm in the video was a toy gun, but this was rejected by Magistrate Twanet Olivier.

Malema told his supporters outside the East London Magistrates Court that he would appeal the verdict all the way to the Constitutional Court.

Malema could face up to 15 years in prison, but as there is no minimum sentence, the magistrate may be more lenient.

His sentencing has been set for Jan. 23 next year.

Malema founded the Economic Freedom Fighters, South Africa's fourth-biggest political party, which won 9% of the electoral vote in general elections last year.

He remains a divisive figure in South African politics, especially over his party policies which include the expropriation of white-owned land without compensation and the nationalization of mines and banks.

He appeared in a video shown by U.S. President Donald Trump during a tense meeting with South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa this year. Trump has falsely claimed that there is an ongoing “white genocide” in South Africa.