The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have forcefully dismissed the possibility of their leader, Julius Malema, serving jail time after his recent conviction on firearm discharge charges, labelling the legal proceedings a “political witch hunt” and vowing to fight the verdict “all the way to the constitutional court.”
Malema was found guilty on Wednesday in an Eastern Cape court related to an incident where he discharged a firearm. The conviction has sparked widespread speculation about the potential political and personal consequences for the firebrand leader.
However, in a televised interview, EFF Member of Parliament and central command team member Mazwi Blose unequivocally stated that the party is not considering any scenario where Malema is imprisoned.
“Well, your question does not arise because that’s not going to happen,” Blose said when asked about contingency planning. “The president of the EFF is not going to be arrested.”
Blose framed the case as a targeted attack on Malema and the EFF’s radical policy platform, which includes land expropriation without compensation and the nationalization of strategic sectors.
“We feel as an organization that this is not really about seeking justice but it is a political witch hunt against our president just to try and discredit him and the entire organization,” Blose stated. He alleged the case was driven by “right-wing racist organization(s)” opposed to the EFF’s agenda.
The MP raised specific legal objections to the verdict, pointing to the acquittal of Malema’s co-accused, his former bodyguard. The bodyguard was found not guilty of handing the firearm to Malema, who was then convicted of firing it.
“So, we are going to be very interested to hear what the Supreme Court of Appeal will [decide]… because by acquitting accused number two of all the charges, you’ve really just collapsed your own case,” Blose argued, suggesting the court’s logic was flawed.
He further claimed the case was built on a lack of evidence, asserting that the state failed to prove the firearm was real, that it damaged the stage, or that it contained Malema’s fingerprints or DNA.
When pressed on how the party would convince a higher court of its claims of racial and political bias, Blose insisted, “the entire case is about race.” He questioned why another individual, a man named Mavunda, who admitted to being the legal owner of the firearm in question, was not charged.
“The president was asking a very simple question… Why you not charging him?” Blose said, alleging the magistrate dismissed the query. “They were not looking for anyone else, they were just looking for president Julius Malema so they can appease their white bosses.”
He expanded the accusation to include “the entire system,” naming the Democratic Alliance (DA) and suggesting the country’s security cluster and courts are “compromised” by forces seeking to maintain the economic status quo.
Despite the serious nature of the conviction and a sentencing hearing expected in January, Blose expressed absolute confidence in the party’s stability. He downplayed concerns about member anxiety, citing previous predictions of the EFF’s demise that never materialized.
“The membership of the EFF is intact,” Blose stated. “The CIC [Commander-in-Chief] spoke outside the magistrate court in East London and he gave assurance that there’s only one president of this organization and it remains him… We are not shaken.”
He concluded by affirming Malema’s resolve, noting the leader is in “good spirits” and prepared to continue the political fight as the party focuses on upcoming local government elections.