South African opposition leader Malema sentenced to 5 years imprisonment over firearm offences

SOUTH African opposition leader, Mr Julius Malema, has been handed a 5-year prison sentence after being found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm and discharging it in public.

As soon as the judgment was given on Thursday, his legal team swiftly filed an appeal in a bid to stop the enforcement of the sentence, seeking to keep the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and sitting member of parliament out of jail while the case is reviewed.

Dressed in a dark suit paired with a red tie, Malema stood in court in East London without visible emotion as Magistrate Twanet Olivier delivered the ruling, BBC reported.

The conviction stems from a 2018 incident in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, where a video showed him firing multiple shots into the air with a semi-automatic rifle during his party’s 5th anniversary celebrations.

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He was convicted last year on five counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm, firing a weapon in a public space, and reckless endangerment.

In his defence, Malema argued that the gun did not belong to him and claimed the act was intended to energise the crowd, according to SowetanLIVE.

However, Magistrate Twanet Olivier, who delivered the judgment, rejected that explanation, stating that the act was not spontaneous but rather a central feature of the event.

Known for his fiery rhetoric and radical left-wing stance, Malema has built a strong and loyal support base over the years.

Outside the courthouse, hundreds of supporters gathered in solidarity, chanting and singing revolutionary songs as they awaited the outcome.

Malema, once a youth leader within the African National Congress, was expelled after a fallout with former president Jacob Zuma. He later founded the EFF, which has since grown into a major political force, finishing as the fourth-largest party in the 2024 elections.

Following his conviction last October, Malema declared that imprisonment or even death would be ‘a badge of honour,’ insisting he would not retreat from his political struggle.

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He has also pledged to challenge the ruling all the way to South Africa’s top court, the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The case originated after AfriForum filed a complaint when the video of the shooting incident circulated widely online.

The group was also involved in a separate legal matter against Malema. In August, he was found guilty of hate speech by an equality court over comments made during a 2022 rally.

In that instance, Malema made remarks suggesting violence in the context of a political struggle. The court ruled the statements showed intent to incite harm, though the EFF maintained they were taken out of context.