By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The East London Magistrate Twanet Olivier Magistrate failed to deliver her judgment again in a case involving Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Sello Malema, rolling it over to the third day.
Olivier continued to read through the testimony of every witness who took the stand during the trial.
Malema is charged with the unlawful possession of a firearm‚ unlawful possession of ammunition‚ discharging a firearm in a built-up area or public place, and reckless endangerment of people or property.
His co-accused, the EFF party leader’s former bodyguard Adriaan Snyman, faces two counts: failure to take reasonable precautions to avoid danger to people or property, and providing a firearm/ammunition to a person not allowed to possess it.
Malema and Snyman are alleged to have fired shots from an assault rifle during the party’s fifth birthday celebrations at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane in 2018.
Lobby group AfriForum lodged the case under the Firearms Control Act.
On Monday, Olivier was expected to conclude the trial, but started with a lengthy explanation of the evidence, touching on submissions by the police and ballistic evidence.
Olivier said explaining the evidence before announcing her ruling would help explain how the court arrived at its decision. At 4pm, she postponed the case until Tuesday.
Olivier had warned when she started delivering the judgment that it would take a while to conclude, because it was necessary to provide context on how she arrived at her decision, and she needed to repeat evidence and certain aspects of cross-examination.
Both men, who remain out on bail, deny charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, reckless endangerment, and contravening the Firearms Control Act.
The outcome could impact Malema’s political standing, especially amid ongoing scrutiny of his leadership and the EFF’s role in local politics.
A conviction could bar Malema from public office under South Africa’s electoral laws, which disqualify those sentenced to over 12 months’ imprisonment without a fine option.
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Video Courtesy of EFFSA.