'Jail time a death knell for EFF'

ANALYSTS: MALEMA'S FUTURE ON KNIFE-EDGE BUT COULD TAKE MANY YEARS TO PLAY OUT >>> Court finds party leader guilty of firing a rifle in public.

- Itumeleng Mafisa and Marizka Coetzer

DEFIANT. After the court ruling yesterday, EFF leader Julius Malema said outside the East London Magistrate's Court: 'As a revolutionary, going to prison or death is a badge of honour. We cannot be scared of prison, we cannot be scared to die.'

(Picture: Gallo Images)

Even as defiant EFF leader Julius Malema claimed his conviction for illegally firing a rifle was a politically motivated attempt to discredit the organisation, political analysts warn the future of the EFF could be at risk if he is sent to jail.

Malema has vowed to fight all the way to the Constitutional Court if necessary to get his conviction overturned.

It was handed down by the East London Magistrate's Court yesterday. Sentencing procedures were postponed until early next year.

Malema was found guilty on five charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm in public. The maximum penalty for the first charge is 15 years behind bars.

His former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was found not guilty on two charges.

Outside the court, Malema said: “As a revolutionary, going to prison or death is a badge of honour. We cannot be scared of prison, we cannot be scared to die for the revolution.”

Political analyst Andre Duvenhage believes the outcome of this court case will have strong implications for the future of Malema's political career.