Malema and Snyman face further delay in firearm trial verdict
POSTPONED
Julius Malema and his former bodyguard Adriaan Snyman must wait another day for a verdict in their firearm trial, after the East London Magistrate’s Court again ran out of time on Tuesday.
Image: Supplied
The long-awaited verdict in the firearm trial of Julius Malema and his former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, has been postponed for yet another day.
The East London Magistrate’s Court, caught up in a busy schedule of cases, was unable to render its judgment yesterday, compelling the two men to return today as Magistrate Twanet Olivier continues her meticulous examination of the extensive evidence presented throughout the trial.
Olivier said the court has a duty to explain step by step how it reaches its ruling.
The process has stretched proceedings far longer than expected.
The charges date back to the EFF’s fifth birthday rally in Mdantsane in 2018.
Video footage presented to court showed Snyman handing Malema a rifle, which Malema then allegedly fired into the air before a packed crowd at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium.
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.
Malema has dismissed the case as a political witch-hunt.
The courtroom was again filled with EFF supporters.
Judgment continues on Wednesday.
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