A South African court on Thursday sentenced Julius Malema, leader of the left-wing opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), to five years in prison for discharging an assault rifle at a political rally eight years ago.
Hundreds of EFF supporters, many dressed in the party’s signature red attire, gathered outside the court during the sentencing in what has been a highly charged political case.
Magistrate Twanet Olivier said Malema had knowingly violated firearm laws when he fired the weapon into the air at a 2018 rally.
“It wasn’t an impulsive act,” Olivier said. “It was the event of the evening.”
Malema’s legal team argued that the gunfire was intended as a celebratory gesture. Prosecutors, however, had pushed for the maximum sentence of 15 years after he was found guilty in October.
The defence has indicated it will appeal the ruling.
The case was brought by AfriForum, a small conservative advocacy group that has frequently clashed with Malema, including over his use of the anti-apartheid chant “Kill the Boer,” which refers to South Africa’s white Afrikaner community.