Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of illegal firearm possession and reckless endangerment.
The sentence follows a 2018 incident where video footage captured the member of parliament firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air during his party's anniversary celebrations. Magistrate Twanet Olivier rejected Malema's excuses, noting that the act was not impulsive but rather a calculated event of the evening.
Malema, a polarizing figure known for his radical rhetoric and calls for the seizure of private property, has already filed an appeal to avoid immediate incarceration. This conviction is the latest in a series of legal troubles for the politician, who was also found guilty of hate speech last year for inciting violence against white citizens.
Despite his attempts to frame his legal accountability as a 'badge of honor' for his revolution, the court’s decision marks a significant moment of justice for his past actions.
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