A social worker testified at the East London Magistrate's Court on Friday, in mitigation of sentence for EFF leader Julius Malema, describing his difficult upbringing marked by poverty, the early death of his mother, and not knowing his father.
Jessie Thompson told the court Malema had no prior criminal record, showed good behaviour, and had a positive impact on society, arguing that a prison sentence would be unjust.
Malema was found guilty in October on five charges under the Firearms Control Act after he was filmed firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air at a 2018 birthday celebration in Mdantsane.
