Julius Malema sentenced to 5 years in prison for illegal possession of firearm

File Image of South African opposition leader Julius Malema

South African opposition leader Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years in prison after a court found him guilty of firing a rifle in the air during a political rally, a decision that could cost him his parliamentary seat.

The 45-year-old remained in court in KuGompo City on Thursday as magistrates considered an application to appeal the sentence. It was not immediately clear whether the appeal process would delay his transfer to prison.

Malema, who leads the Economic Freedom Fighters, the fourth-largest party in parliament, was convicted last year on five charges linked to the 2018 incident at a stadium in the Eastern Cape.

“It is clear that if crimes are allowed to go unchecked and unpunished, it poses a serious threat to our democratic state,” magistrate Twanet Olivier said while delivering the ruling.

The court handed Malema five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and an additional two years for unlawful possession of ammunition. He was also fined for three other offences, including discharging a firearm in a built-up area, with a custodial sentence if the fines are not paid. All sentences will run concurrently.

Under the constitution of South Africa, any prison sentence exceeding 12 months, once all appeals are exhausted, disqualifies an individual from serving as a member of parliament.

The ruling could deal a significant blow to Malema’s party, which draws strong backing from young South Africans frustrated by persistent inequality since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The EFF has built its platform around policies such as nationalising mines and redistributing land from white farmers.

Prosecutors had urged the court to impose a harsh sentence, warning that leniency would set a dangerous precedent. However, Malema’s legal team argued that the gun was fired as a celebratory gesture and did not pose any intended harm, pushing for a lighter penalty such as a fine.