A five-year prison term has been imposed on South African opposition figure Julius Malema after a court found him guilty of breaching firearm laws tied to a 2018 rally where he discharged a rifle.
The sentence was handed down on Thursday, prompting an immediate response from his legal team, who filed for leave to appeal both the conviction and the punishment.
Beyond the courtroom, the decision could reshape his political future. South African legislation disqualifies anyone sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine from serving in Parliament. Should the ruling stand after appeals, Malema risks losing his seat.
The charges trace back to an October verdict in which he was found guilty on five counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a weapon in a built-up area, and reckless endangerment.
Malema, who heads the Economic Freedom Fighters, faced trial alongside his bodyguard, Anton Snyman, after video footage of the rally spread online. Snyman was cleared of all charges.
In delivering the sentence, Magistrate Twanet Olivier emphasised the risks associated with such actions, citing the broader context of gun violence. “We hear daily, or weekly, of children playing in the front yards, in the street, who are caught in crossfire, random shots fired, killing people. It’s just the first time that we hear, it’s being called celebratory shots,” Olivier said.
Throughout the trial, Malema insisted the case was politically motivated, pointing to its origins with AfriForum, an Afrikaner advocacy organisation that has long opposed him.
That argument did not sway the court. According to an AP report, Olivier maintained that both the conviction and sentence were based strictly on the evidence presented about what happened on the day.
Known for his confrontational style and policy positions, Malema remains one of South Africa’s most debated political figures. His platform includes calls for land expropriation without compensation and the nationalisation of key sectors such as mining and banking. His visibility has extended beyond South Africa’s borders, including a moment during a tense meeting last year between Donald Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa, where footage of him singing a controversial anti-apartheid song was played, drawing mixed interpretations.
