South African opposition leader Julius Malema jailed for firing rifle at rally | World News

A South African opposition leader has been handed a five-year prison sentence for firing a rifle in the air at a rally.

Julius Malema was convicted last year on five charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place over the incident at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province in 2018.

Within minutes of the magistrate’s decision being read out in a court in KuGompo City, the 45-year-old’s lawyers applied for leave to launch an appeal.

Magistrate Twanet Olivier said she considered the magnitude of the offence when she determined his sentence.

“We hear daily, or weekly, of children playing in the front yards, in the street, who are caught in crossfire, random shots fired, killing people. It’s just the first time that we hear, it’s being called celebratory shots,” she said.

The sentence, if confirmed after all appeals, would bar Malema from serving as a politician.

It would be a major setback for his far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which is the fourth-largest in parliament and has strong support among South Africa‘s youth.

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Malema had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

His lawyers had argued he did not intend to cause any harm by firing the gun, which he said was a toy, in a celebratory gesture.

They had called for a more lenient sentence, such as a fine.

During the trial and sentencing, Malema said the charges were politically motivated as they were brought by Afriforum, a lobby group for the white Afrikaner minority group, which has opposed Malema for years.