Lex Libertas welcomes the sentencing of Julius Malema

PRETORIA — The think tank and advocacy group, Lex Libertas welcomes the sentencing of Julius Malema, the President and Commander in Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The ruling reaffirms the principle that no public official is above the law and underscores the importance of holding politicians accountable for their words and actions.

Malema was sentenced on the following counts:

Count 1: Unlawful possession of firearm - 5 years imprisonment

Count 2: Unlawful possession of ammunition - 2 years imprisonment

Count 3: Discharging firearm in public – R20, 000 fine

Count 4: Failure to take reasonable precautions to person or property - R20, 000 fine

Count 5: Reckless endangerment to person or property - R20, 000 fine

Count 3, 4, 5 have an alternative of 6 months in prison if he can’t afford or pay the fines.

This sentencing comes 8 years after the civil rights organisation AfriForum laid charges against Malema in August 2018, and he was found guilty in October of 2025. The fact that a civil rights organisation played such an important role in this case reaffirms Lex Libertas' argument about decentralisation and self-governance precisely because organisations like this currently play a major role in ensuring law and order prevail.

“This outcome reaffirms that elected leaders are not immune from legal accountability.” said Dr Ernst Roets, Executive Director of Lex Libertas.

Lex Libertas is a think tank and advocacy group working towards a viable political dispensation in South Africa, based on the principles of freedom, decentralisation, and self-governance.

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