A South African court has sentenced firebrand opposition politician Julius Malema to an effective five-year prison term after finding him guilty of violating the country’s firearm laws over an incident in which he fired a rifle into the air at a political rally in 2018.
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The conviction stems from an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rally where prosecutors said Malema discharged a firearm in public. He was convicted in October of unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place.
In delivering the sentence at a court in KuGompo City (formerly East London), Magistrate Twanet Olivier said Malema deliberately breached firearm regulations, noting that the act was not impulsive but a central moment of the event.
“It wasn’t an impulsive act,” the magistrate said. “It was the event of the evening.”
Malema, who leads the EFF, South Africa’s fourth-largest party in parliament, maintained his innocence throughout the trial, arguing that the shots were fired in celebration rather than with malicious intent. He was also fined on some counts.
The sentence includes more than 12 months of direct imprisonment without the option of a fine, meaning he could be disqualified from serving in parliament unless he succeeds on appeal. His legal team has confirmed plans to challenge the ruling, a process that could take years.
The ruling drew significant political attention, with hundreds of EFF supporters gathering outside the courthouse in a show of solidarity as proceedings concluded.
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