South Africa’s Julius Malema sentenced to 5 years over rally rifle shots

By  MOGOMOTSI MAGOMEThursday April 16, 2026

Julius Malema, one of South Africa’s most prominent and polarizing opposition figures, was handed a five-year prison sentence Thursday after being convicted of violating firearm laws for firing a rifle at a political rally in 2018.

He was released while he awaits the outcome of an appeal, which will be heard at a later date.

If the conviction and sentence are ultimately confirmed, Malema would lose his seat in Parliament. Under South African law, anyone sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine is barred from serving as a lawmaker.

Malema was convicted in October on five counts, including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in a built-up area and reckless endangerment.

Hundreds of his supporters, known as “fighters,” gathered outside for the sentencing, with many traveling in from different provinces to back him. Dressed in red party clothing, they sang and chanted before the ruling and after it was delivered.

Malema responded defiantly, attacking the magistrate and alleging bias throughout the proceedings. “We were tried by a magistrate who doesn’t read, who uses emotions, who speaks politics. We are done with her, we are going to a higher court,” he said.

In announcing the sentence, Magistrate Twanet Olivier said the seriousness of the offense weighed heavily in her decision. “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,” Olivier said.

The outspoken leader of the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters was charged with his bodyguard, Anton Snyman, after a video of the episode spread widely online. Snyman was acquitted.

Throughout the trial and sentencing, Malema maintained that the case was politically driven and said it had been brought by Afriforum, a lobby group representing the white Afrikaner minority that has long clashed with him.

Olivier said the ruling and punishment were based only on Malema’s conduct on the day in question.

Malema, whose party is the country’s fourth-largest, remains a deeply divisive figure, largely because of policies that call for the expropriation of white-owned land without compensation and the nationalization of mines and banks.

He also appeared in footage shown by U.S. President Donald Trump during a tense meeting last year with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, where Malema was seen singing a controversial anti-apartheid song that some have interpreted as a call for violence against Afrikaners.