South Africa’s opposition leader Malema sentenced to five years over 2018 firearm incident
Julius Malema, leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters, has been handed an effective five-year prison sentence over a 2018 incident in which he fired a rifle during a public celebration in Mdantsane.
The sentence follows his conviction on five charges related to the unlawful possession and discharge of a firearm and ammunition, as well as conduct deemed to have endangered people and property, Daily Maverick reports.
On the main count, the court sentenced Malema to five years in prison. He received a further two-year sentence on a second count, while on the remaining three counts he was ordered to pay a fine of R20,000 or serve six months’ imprisonment. The court directed that the sentences run concurrently with the main term.
The case arose from the EFF’s fifth anniversary event in Mdantsane in 2018, where Malema was seen taking a rifle and firing shots into the air before a crowd.
In court, the defence argued that the firearm was not live and suggested it may have been a toy or loaded with blank rounds. The court dismissed that version, finding that the weapon was real and that the conduct amounted to a serious breach of the law.
In sentencing Malema, the magistrate said the fact that the shots were allegedly fired in celebration did not lessen the gravity of the offence. The court held that using a firearm in a public setting, particularly in a crowd, created an obvious risk and could not be excused as part of a political event.
The magistrate also said the evidence showed the act was deliberate, not accidental, and stressed that public stature could not shield anyone from criminal accountability.
Malema’s lawyer, Advocate Lawrence Hodes SC, indicated immediately after sentencing that the ruling would be challenged.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
