For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: Malema found guilty of breaking gun laws; Politicians remember Nathi Mthethwa; And, African exports face immediate damage from lapse of US trade initiative

Malema found guilty of breaking gun laws

Firebrand South African politician Julius Malema was found guilty of violating the nation’s gun laws for firing a weapon at a political rally in 2018.

The East London Magistrate’s Court handed down its verdict at a hearing today. Sentencing will begin in January, Magistrate Twanet Olivier said.

Malema will be disqualified from serving in the legislature if he is sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine and fails to have the judgment overturned on appeal.

Meanwhile, the EFF has come out in defence of Malema, threatening legal action.

Responding to the judgment, the EFF said Malema’s case has been “maliciously” pursued for more than seven years, and the party is seeking legal advice, with the intention to appeal the ruling.

The party said it trusts that higher courts will expose what it termed “weaknesses and contradictions” of the prosecution.

Politicians remember Nathi Mthethwa

Following the passing of South Africa’s Ambassador to France Nathi Mthethwa, many have come out to offer their condolences and remember him as a “distinguished servant of the nation”.

On Tuesday, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola confirmed Mthethwa’s passing, highlighting that the circumstances of Mthethwa’s death were under investigation by the French authorities.

Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation chairperson Supra Mahumapelo said Mthethwa’s passing was a “national loss”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said Mthethwa’s passing was a “moment of deep grief” and noted his roles in diverse capacities during a lifetime that had ended “prematurely and traumatically”.

Meanwhile, Mthethwa’s political party, the ANC, said he was not merely a public official but a “committed” cadre of the liberation struggle and a “dedicated” servant in the country’s democratic era.

And, African exports face immediate damage from lapse of US trade initiative

The lapse of a flagship US trade initiative with Africa that expired overnight is putting scores of businesses on the continent and hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk, raising fears that even a promised extension may come too late.

There is bipartisan support in Washington for a renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which waived US duties on thousands of goods from sub-Saharan African countries for the past 25 years.

But companies that invested in factories and farms to take advantage of duty-free access say even a temporary lapse will harm operations they built over many years, especially as they already face country-specific tariffs Trump imposed in August.

Pankaj Bedi, chairperson of Nairobi-based apparel company United Aryan, which supplies Target and Walmart, predicted some immediate layoffs as tariffs as high as a third of the value of textiles exports snap back into place.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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