South African Court Jails EFF Leader Julius Malema For Firing Rifle At Rally

A South African court has sentenced firebrand opposition politician Julius Malema to five years in prison for unlawfully firing a rifle in the air during a political rally.

Malema, the leader of the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was handed the sentence on Thursday by Magistrate Twanet Olivier following his conviction over a 2018 incident.

Al Jazeera reports that the outspoken politician had been found guilty last year on multiple charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public space.

The courtroom proceedings drew intense political attention, with hundreds of red-beret-wearing EFF supporters thronging outside the court premises in a show of solidarity, underscoring the deep divisions the case has stirred across South Africa.

Malema, 45, remains one of the most influential and controversial figures in South African politics, leading the fourth-largest party in parliament with a strong base among young people disillusioned by persistent economic hardship and racial inequality decades after the end of apartheid in 1994.

Meanwhile, the maximum time was a 15-year prison sentence. A prison ‌term of more than 12 months, if confirmed after all appeals, would bar Malema from serving as a lawmaker.