The Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has failed in his bid to have his firearm case thrown out of court. Malema appeared before Magistrate Twanet Olivier at the East London Court earlier today, alongside his bodyguard Adriaan Snyman. The EFF leader is accused of illegally discharging a firearm at the party's birthday celebration in 2018 at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape.

Malema was allegedly handed a semi-automatic firearm by Snyman and he fired several shots. Malema's legal team previously brought an application to have the case dismissed claiming there was insufficient evidence and that witnesses' statements were incoherent. He faces five charges including the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and three counts of contravening the Firearms Control Act. Malema's lawyer, Laurence Hodes, has claimed in the past court appearances that the gun the politician held that day was not a real one and that the bullet shell picked up after the event could have been placed there before the event.

Jacques Broodryk from the civil rights organisation, AfriForum, welcomed the court's decision to deny Malema the opportunity to have his matter thrown out of court. AfriForum opened a case against Malema in 2018 after the incident. "Mr Malema's attempt to get this case thrown out of court was ludicrous to say the least. Unfortunately, Mr Malema's legal team has resorted to using delaying tactics various times throughout this trial to a point where it's getting absurd." Addressing the red berets outside court, Malema accused the magistrate of being disorganised and incompetent. "When she delivered her judgment, you could see that she is not convinced because it's not her own conviction. We don't know what the actual charge of accused number 2 is because she has changed the charge sheet. She has nothing against my bodyguard, she is after me. I don't want Adriaan to die for my sins. I die for my own sins, everything I start, I finish," Malema said to a cheering crowd.