South Africa's opposition leader Julius Malema sentenced to five years in prison over gun incident

• South African opposition leader Julius Malema sentenced to five years in prison.

• The conviction relates to firing a rifle during a 2018 political rally.

• Malema says he will appeal the ruling, calling the case politically motivated.

• If upheld, the sentence could force him out of parliament.

A South African court has sentenced opposition leader Julius Malema to five years in prison after finding him guilty of illegally firing a rifle during a political rally, a ruling that could shake the country’s opposition politics. 

Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was convicted on several firearm-related charges linked to a 2018 party rally in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, where he was filmed firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air in front of thousands of supporters. 

The court found him guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a built-up area, and reckless endangerment, offences that prosecutors argued posed a serious public safety risk. 

During sentencing, the magistrate emphasised that public figures must respect the law and warned that celebratory gunfire could endanger lives. Prosecutors had pushed for a maximum 15-year sentence, arguing that leniency would set a dangerous precedent given Malema’s influence as a national political figure. 

Malema’s legal team, however, argued that the act was symbolic and caused no harm, urging the court to impose a fine instead of prison time. 

The outspoken politician has already vowed to appeal both the conviction and the sentence, insisting the case is politically motivated. 

If the sentence is upheld, the ruling could have major political consequences. Under South African law, a prison sentence exceeding 12 months without the option of a fine can disqualify a lawmaker from holding a parliamentary seat, potentially forcing Malema out of the National Assembly. 

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Malema, a former youth leader of the African National Congress before founding the EFF in 2013, has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s most controversial political figures. His party campaigns for radical economic reforms, including land redistribution without compensation and nationalisation of key industries.

The case, which began nearly eight years after the rally incident, has drawn intense political debate in South Africa, with supporters describing the prosecution as a political attack while critics say the ruling shows that influential politicians are not above the law.