South Africa’s Malema sentenced to five years for firearm offences, appeals

South African opposition politician Julius Malema, 45, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and discharging it in public.

Malema’s lawyer immediately appealed the ruling, preventing the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Member of Parliament from being taken into custody.

Standing in court in East London, Malema showed little emotion as Magistrate Twanet Olivier delivered the sentence.

He was convicted last year on five charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm, discharging a weapon in a public space and reckless endangerment, according to media reports.

The charges stem from a 2018 incident in which a video emerged showing Malema firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air during the EFF’s fifth anniversary celebrations in Eastern Cape.

In his defence, Malema told the court that the firearm was not his and that he fired the shots to energise the crowd, local media reported at the time.

Malema is widely known as an outspoken and charismatic politician with strong support among his followers. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the court, chanting and singing in solidarity.

He previously led the youth wing of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) before being expelled following a fallout with then President Jacob Zuma. He later went on to form the EFF.

Under his leadership, the EFF has gained prominence with its calls for land expropriation without compensation and greater economic redistribution, becoming South Africa’s fourth-largest party in the 2024 elections.

The case against Malema was initiated after lobby group AfriForum filed a complaint following the circulation of the video.

AfriForum has also been involved in other legal proceedings against him. In August last year, Malema was found guilty of hate speech by an equality court over remarks made at a 2022 rally.

Following an alleged assault on an EFF member, Malema said: “No white man is going to beat me up… you must never be scared to kill. A revolution demands that at some point there must be killing.”

The court ruled that the remarks demonstrated an intent to incite harm, although the EFF said they were taken out of context.

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