A South African court on Thursday sentenced opposition politician Julius Malema to five years in prison for firing a rifle in the air at a political rally in 2018.
The case stems from an incident at an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political rally that year.
What was the case against Malema?
Malema was convicted in October of illegally possessing a gun and firing a weapon in a public place. Prosecutors said he fired a rifle into the air during the rally.
Passing sentence at a court in the town of Kugompo, east of London, Magistrate Twenet Ollivier said Malema had deliberately breached firearms laws by firing the gun at the EFF event.
“This was not an impulsive act,” the magistrate said. “It was an evening incident.”
Malema, 45, leads the Economic Freedom Fighters, the fourth-largest party in parliament. He claimed innocence and insisted that the motive for the shooting was merely celebratory.
The politically charged case drew a show of support outside the court, where hundreds of red-clad EFF supporters gathered for the sentencing hearing.
DW’s Dianne Hawker-Kalubi says the conviction means he can no longer serve as a member of parliament. His team has said that he will appeal immediately.
Edited by Richard Connor