South African politician Julius Malema sentenced to prison for firing gun

Magistrate hands the opposition figure five-year term, that his lawyers say will be appealed.

South African opposition politician Julius Malema has been sentenced to prison time for firing a rifle in ⁠the air at a party rally.

Malema, the leader of the far-left opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was handed a five-year sentence on Thursday by Magistrate Twanet Olivier.

Malema, who is one of South Africa’s most prominent politicians, was convicted last year of charges, including unlawful possession of a ⁠firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place over the 2018 incident at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province.

The 45-year-old leader of the fourth-biggest party in parliament had pleaded not guilty, arguing the gun was a toy. His defence said the shots were only intended to be celebratory.

“It wasn’t … an impulsive act,” the magistrate said. “It was the event of the evening.”

The court sentenced Malema to five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and two years for unlawful possession of ammunition. It gave him fines for ⁠three other offences, including discharging a firearm in a built-up area, with ⁠prison time if he doesn’t pay. The sentences will run at the same time.

Within ⁠minutes of the magistrate’s decision being ⁠read out in the court in KuGompo City, formerly East London, on Thursday, Malema’s lawyers applied for leave to appeal – a request that was later granted.

Meanwhile, outside the court, hundreds of Malema’s red-clad EFF supporters gathered for the sentencing in the politically charged case.

The EFF – a small but vocal party – says the case is an attempt to silence its outspoken leader, who is known for fiery speeches. Party supporters have threatened protests should their leader be jailed.

The magistrate stressed it “is not a political party who has been convicted here … it is a person, an individual.”

The maximum possible sentence was 15 years in prison. If confirmed after all appeals, Thursday’s five-year sentence would bar Malema from serving as a lawmaker.

That would be a major setback to the EFF, which has strong support among young South Africans frustrated by the racial inequality that has persisted since the end of white minority rule in 1994.