Opposition leader Julius Malema and his co-accused Adriaan Snyman have pleaded not guilty to charges of discharging a firearm in 2018.
A firearm had reportedly been discharged during the EFF birthday celebration in July 2018. In the ongoing trial, state witness Col. Ngamlana Nkwali had noted that he saw a video of Malema discharging a firearm days after the EFF celebration.
The alleged discharging of the firearm has taken place at Mdantsane’s Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London.
Amid the trial, which will run throughout the week, the AfriForum had noted that South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) lacked the will to prosecute the EFF leader.
On Tuesday, Malema, as well as Snyman, told Magistrate Twannet Olivier they were innocent of the charges preferred against them by the prosecution.
This made the police call its first witness, Colonel Ngamlana Nkwali, a retired visible policing unit commander.
Nkwali noted that he was several meters away from the podium, where Malema had reportedly discharged a firearm. He added that the police had picked up an empty cartridge after the event.
Malema, who is standing trial for alleged possession and discharge of a firearm, is adamant he’s not guilty of all the charges and should therefore be discharged and acquitted.
