EFF
Julius Malema sentenced to five years for 2018 firearm discharge
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EFF leader Julius Malema was sentenced to five years' direct imprisonment in the KuGompo Magistrates’ Court for unlawfully possessing a firearm during the EFF’s 2018 birthday celebrations in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape. Additional sentences on related charges will run concurrently. The court granted leave to appeal the sentence but denied it for the conviction, allowing Malema to remain free pending the appeal.
New evidence from the Madlanga Commission has raised fresh questions about Julius Malema's ties to a senior police official ahead of November local elections.
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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have denied claims that their members forced businesses to close in Johannesburg's CBD following Julius Malema's sentencing in a gun discharge case. Traders shut down operations after allegedly being urged by party supporters. Gauteng MEC for Finance and EFF member Nkululeko Dunga insisted the party issued no such instructions.
Tensions escalated in South Africa's Parliament when Economic Freedom Fighters MP Carl Niehaus demanded that Malusi Gigaba recuse himself from chairing a committee, citing the ANC's step-aside rule due to Gigaba's pending court case. Gigaba rejected the demand, accusing Niehaus of misleading the meeting and pointing to Niehaus's own past associations. The exchange highlighted ongoing political frictions within the legislative body.
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Economic Freedom Fighters MP Leigh-Ann Mathys has voiced support for subpoenaing private investigator Paul O'Sullivan and North West businessman Brown Mogotsi to appear before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee on national security concerns. The committee decided on this measure after both individuals indicated they would not be available on scheduled testimony dates. Mathys also demanded a report on O'Sullivan's summoning amid allegations of threats and committee incapacitation.