EFF leader Julius Malema awaits sanctions on two cases.
Every year, courtrooms deliver verdicts that capture public attention, spark debate, and shape conversations about justice and accountability.
From high-profile politicians and business leaders to entertainers and everyday citizens, these individuals found themselves at the mercy of a law that was not so merciful.
Here are some of the year’s most notable guilty verdicts – who they were, when the judgments were handed down, and the crimes that led them to stand before the law.
Julius Malema
The EFF leader was found guilty of two transgressions this year and awaits an order and sentence in the matters.
In August, the Equality Court found Malema guilty of hate speech.
The charges related to comments he made at a 2022 rally, including the statement, “You must never be scared to kill”.
The South African Human Rights Commission initiated this litigation in November 2022 after receiving numerous public complaints about comments made by Malema.
At the political gathering, Malema addressed EFF members and referred to an earlier incident in which party members clashed with a group of residents outside Brackenfell High School.
In his speech, Malema criticised his members for not retaliating and called on them to “follow up” on the white man who was visible in video footage of the incident, suggesting that he be taken to an “isolated space” and “attended to properly”.
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He further stated that “revolutionaries must not be scared to kill”, that racism should be confronted with violence, and that racist acts amounted to “an application to meet your maker with immediate effect”.
In a separate case, he was also convicted of the illegal possession and firing of a gun in public.
Malema was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, discharge of a firearm in a built-up area, failure to take reasonable precautions to person or property and reckless endangerment to person or property in October.
The charges emanate from the 28 July 2018 EFF rally held in Mdantsane, during which Malema fired a rifle in the air.
The matter will resume on 23 January 2026 for pre-sentencing.
Michael Buthelezi
Buthelezi, a former Democratic Alliance PR Councillor, was found guilty and sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment in May for the murder of his partner and three children.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on 29 October 2023, a fire broke out at the two-roomed dwelling where Buthelezi and his fiancée, Khombosile Khoza, resided with their three minor children, aged between two and 10 years old.
The family was trapped in the house until the door was kicked down by one of the witnesses who first arrived at the scene. Khoza, as well as two of the children, aged two and eight years old, passed away in the fire.
ALSO READ: Former DA councillor gets four life terms for killing fiancée and children
Buthelezi and the 10-year-old child walked out of the house; however, the child was put on palliative care, and she succumbed to her injuries later at the hospital.
He was placed under observation and treated for his injuries. After the incident, Buthelezi misled the police by providing false information on two occasions. Buthelezi’s statements were investigated and found to be false, leading to his arrest.
Johan Marais
In July, Marais, a former police officer, was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment by the Pretoria High Court.
This is after Marais pleaded guilty and was convicted of premeditated murder of Caiphus Nyoka.
At the time of his death, Caiphus Nyoka was a student activist and a member of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas). He was also the organiser for the South African Youth Congress Organiser (SAYCO) in the East Rand, as well as the president of the Student Representative Council (SRC) at Mabuya High School.
He was fiercely opposed to the apartheid policies and used to challenge publicly. The court found his expression of remorse unconvincing and noted he had failed to apply for amnesty at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Sbusiso Ncengwa
Sibusiso Ncengwa (37) was sentenced to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in July.
He was convicted for the murder of former ANC Youth League secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa in July 2017, in uMzimkhulu, as well as other charges.
On 06 June 2025, Ncengwa made Section 220 Admissions to the court, admitting to shooting Magaqa on 13 July 2017.
He also admitted to the attempted murder of Jabulile Msiya, Nonsikelelo Mafa, and Nceba Mazongolo; and the malicious injury to property in respect of the motor vehicles belonging to Magaqa and others.
Ncengwa also admitted to the two counts of firearm-related charges and the unlawful possession of ammunition.
He further outlined the events leading up to Magaqa’s death and the interactions he had with his co-accused.
Ncengwa also divulged the names of the alleged instigators or masterminds behind Magaqa’s killings.
His admissions amounted to a Plea of Guilty, and he was convicted accordingly.
Kelly Smith
In May, Judge Nathan Erasmus found that the state succeeded in proving the guilt of the three accused in counts 1 and 2 in the Joshlin Smith disappearance case.
On count 1, he found them guilty of trafficking in persons. They were also found guilty of kidnapping, count 2.
ALSO READ: Joshlin Smith sentencing: Kelly and co-accused handed life sentences
Joshlin disappeared from the family’s home in Saldanha Bay on 19 February 2024. All the accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Seven Chinese nationals
In February, the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg found Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying and Zhang Zhilian guilty on 160 charges, including human trafficking, kidnapping, contraventions of immigration laws and the exploitation of workers.
The case dates back to November 2019, when police and labour officials raided the Beautiful City factory in Village Deep, Johannesburg.
Inside, 91 Malawian nationals were discovered working under exploitative conditions at the illegal enterprise, which produced cotton fibre sheets. Among them were 37 children.
All accused were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each, and the company was ordered to pay a fine of R300 000.
