He just got a sentence of 5 years for shooting into the air
Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and related charges stemming from a 2018 incident where he fired a rifle into the air during an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rally in KuGompo City, Eastern Cape.
The sentence was handed down by Magistrate Twanet Olivier, who emphasized that the act was not impulsive but a planned event, stating, “It wasn’t an impulsive act. It was the event of the evening.” Malema was convicted in October 2025 on five counts, including discharging a firearm in public and reckless endangerment. The court also imposed a two-year sentence for unlawful possession of ammunition and fines for other charges, but all sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an
effective five-year direct imprisonment term.
- Malema has been granted leave to appeal, meaning he will not go to prison immediately and can remain in parliament during the appeals process.
- If the sentence is upheld, he will be disqualified from serving as a Member of Parliament, as South African law bars lawmakers from office if sentenced to more than 12 months without suspension.
- Malema and the EFF claim the case is politically motivated, driven by AfriForum, an Afrikaner lobby group that filed the complaint after the incident went viral.