Marshall Dlamini, the secretary-general of the EFF and head of security, has been found guilty of assault and property damage in an incident dating back to February 2019.
During an altercation in the Parliament lobby after the State of the Nation Address, Dlamini struck police officer Johan Carstens, resulting in facial injuries and broken glasses.
The Cape Town Regional Court did not accept Dlamini’s defense that he was acting to stop a potential assassination attempt on EFF leader Julius Malema.
Magistrate Nasha Banwari dismissed Dlamini’s claim that he had been informed of a threat to Malema, which he believed was about to be carried out via a “poison injection.”
Consequently, Dlamini faces charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and malicious damage to property.
The sentencing for these convictions has been deferred to May 31, with Dlamini remaining free on bail until that date.
The incident left Carstens with a 3cm wound on his nose and additional facial injuries, as described by Dr. Lynne Swarts, who attended to him immediately after the altercation.
The EFF maintained that their heightened security measures during the SONA were in response to credible threats against Malema.