South African opposition leader Julius Malema was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday for firing a rifle in the air at a rally, a judgement that could bar the prominent campaigner from parliament.
The 45-year-old stayed in court in KuGompo City as magistrates considered whether to accept an appeal against the sentence. It was not immediately clear if that process would delay his transfer to prison.
Malema, head of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, the fourth-biggest party in parliament, was convicted last year on five charges after firing the gun at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province in 2018.
“It is clear that if crimes are allowed to go unchecked and unpunished, it poses a serious threat to our democratic state,” magistrate Twanet Olivier said before delivering the sentence.
The court sentenced Malema to five years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and two years for unlawful possession of ammunition.