Johannesburg. South African opposition leader Julius Malema was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for firing a rifle into the air at a rally, a verdict that could oust the prominent campaigner from parliament.
The 45-year-old man remained in court in the city of Kugompo as magistrates considered whether to accept an appeal against the sentence. It was not immediately clear whether that process would delay his prison transfer.
Malema, head of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, the fourth-largest party in parliament, was convicted last year on five charges after opening fire at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province in 2018.
Before sentencing Magistrate Twainette Ollivier said, “It is clear that if crimes are allowed to go unchecked and unpunished, it poses a serious threat to our democratic state.”
The court sentenced Malema to five years in prison for illegal possession of weapons and two years for illegal ammunition.
It gave him fines for three other offences, including leaving a gun in a built-up area with a jail sentence if non-payment. The sentences will run at the same time.
According to the Constitution of South Africa, a prison sentence of 12 months or more, if confirmed after all appeals, would bar Malema from serving as a lawmaker.
It would be a major blow to his party, which enjoys strong support among young South Africans frustrated by racial inequality that has persisted since the end of white minority rule in 1994.
Economic Freedom Fighters advocate nationalization of mines and confiscation of land from white farmers.
The state prosecutor told the court on Thursday it would set a bad precedent if Malema was released without jail time and urged the magistrate to impose the maximum possible sentence of 15 years.
Malema's lawyers had argued that he did not intend to cause any harm by firing the gun in celebration, and had sought a more lenient sentence such as a fine.