Malema firearm discharge trial: Load shedding delays proceedings ...

EFF leader Julius Malema and his co-accused Adriaan Snyman appear at the East London Regional Court for the firearm trial on 30 January 2023 in East London.

The firearms-related trial of EFF leader Julius Malema and his bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was delayed in the East London Magistrate's Court on Tuesday due to load shedding.

The country is currently in the grip of Stage 5 power cuts.

Malema and Snyman are accused of discharging a firearm in public during the party's fifth anniversary celebrations at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane in 2018.

The State alleges Snyman handed the firearm to Malema.

Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges and their trial kicked off on Monday.

Day two of the trial got off to a slow start and could not begin at 09:00, because the Magistrate's Court building and surrounding areas had no electricity.

A planned power outage was scheduled to last until 12:00 and recording equipment was expected to take a little longer to start working properly.  

Justice department spokesperson Stephen Mahlangu confirmed the power outage and said he expected everything to run smoothly once the recording machines started to work again.

The court was expected to continue hearing testimony from an array of witnesses.

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Four police officers took to the stand on Monday to give their account of what transpired.

The officers were Mdantsane police spokesperson, Colonel Nkosikho Mzuku, who received viral footage of the event, Sarel Kruger who received the rifle, Dwayne Francis who downloaded the viral video from investigating officer Colonel Rodney Swartbooi's phone, and retired facial recognition expert, Warrant Officer Amanda Yvonne Steenkamp.

Steenkamp told Magistrate Twanet Olivier that screenshots of the viral video, which she had analysed, confirmed that Malema and Snyman featured in it.

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The footage showed Malema firing what appeared to be a rifle in front of a cheering crowd on 28 July 2018. 

Soon after the video reached the public domain, lobby group AfriForum opened a case against Malema and Snyman. 

The group accused Malema of putting lives of the public in danger by firing the rifle in a built-up area, and Snyman for handing Malema the rifle. 

Snyman was Malema's bodyguard on the day.