South African opposition figure and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has been handed a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of illegal firearm possession and discharging it in public.
The ruling was delivered by Magistrate Twanet Olivier at a court in East London, where Malema reportedly showed little reaction as the sentence was announced.
His legal team immediately filed an appeal in an effort to prevent his imprisonment, while the sentence could also affect his eligibility to remain a member of parliament.
The case relates to a 2018 incident during the EFF’s fifth anniversary event in the Eastern Cape, where a video captured Malema firing multiple shots into the air with a semi-automatic rifle.
In his defence, he claimed the weapon did not belong to him and said he discharged it to energise the crowd.
However, the magistrate dismissed the argument, stating that “it wasn’t… an impulsive act. It was the event of the evening”.
“In respect of count 1 you are sentenced to a period of 5 years imprisonment, in respect of count two you are sentenced to a period of 2 years imprisonment, in respect of count 3 you are sentenced to R20,000 or to undergo six months imprisonment,” Olivier ruled.
Malema had been convicted in October on multiple counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, public discharge, and reckless endangerment.
Following the conviction, he told supporters outside the court that “going to prison or death is a badge of honour”.
“We cannot be scared of prison [or] to die for the revolution. Whatever they want to do, they must know we will never retreat,” he said.
He has since pledged to challenge the ruling up to the Constitutional Court, South Africa’s highest judicial authority.