South African opposition figure and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and discharging it in public.
The sentence was handed down on Thursday by Magistrate Twanet Olivier at the East London Magistrate’s Court. Malema remained composed as the judgment was delivered.
His legal team immediately filed an appeal seeking to halt the execution of the sentence, setting the stage for a potentially prolonged legal process that could reach South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
The conviction relates to a 2018 incident during the EFF’s fifth anniversary celebration in the Eastern Cape, where Malema was captured on video firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air before a crowd.
He was subsequently convicted in October on five counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, reckless endangerment, and discharging a weapon in a public place.
During the trial, Malema maintained that the firearm did not belong to him and argued that the act was intended to energise supporters at the event. However, the court dismissed this defence at sentencing.
“It wasn’t… an impulsive act. It was the event of the evening,” Magistrate Olivier said.
Delivering the ruling, she outlined the penalties across the charges: “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,” she ruled.
Beyond the custodial sentence, the judgment may have broader political implications, as the conviction could affect Malema’s eligibility to serve as a member of parliament, depending on the outcome of his appeal.
Following his conviction last year, Malema addressed supporters outside the court, portraying his legal challenges as part of a wider political struggle.
“Going to prison or death is a badge of honour,” he said.
“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 added.
Malema has vowed to challenge the ruling up to the Constitutional Court, insisting he will exhaust all legal avenues to overturn the conviction.
