Julius Malema sentenced to 5 years for illegal gun discharge
South African opposition figure Julius Malema has been handed a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm and discharging it in public.
His lawyer indicated that an appeal will be filed in a bid to prevent the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader from being jailed. The sentence could also jeopardise the 45-year-old’s position as a Member of Parliament.
Malema appeared composed in court, showing little reaction as the magistrate delivered the ruling.
He was convicted last year on five counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, firing a weapon in a public place, and reckless endangerment.
The charges stem from a 2018 incident in which a video surfaced showing him firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air during his party’s fifth anniversary celebration in the Eastern Cape.
In his defence, Malema argued that the firearm did not belong to him and said he fired the shots to energise the crowd.
Following his conviction in October, he told supporters outside the East London court that imprisonment or even death was “a badge of honour,” adding that he would not back down. He also pledged to challenge the ruling all the way to the Constitutional Court.
The case was initiated after Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum filed a complaint against him when the video gained widespread attention.
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