SOUTH AFRICAN COURT SENTENCES JULIUS MALEMA TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON OVER 2018 RALLY GUN INCIDENT

SOUTH AFRICAN COURT SENTENCES JULIUS MALEMA TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON OVER 2018 RALLY GUN INCIDENT A South African court has sentenced opposition leader Julius Malema to five years in jail after finding him guilty of unlawfully firing an assault rifle during a political rally eight years ago, in a ruling that marks a major turning point for one of the country’s most controversial political figures. The judgment was delivered on Thursday by a magistrate court, which ruled that Malema deliberately violated firearm laws when he discharged a weapon during an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) celebration in 2018. The case, which has been closely followed across South Africa, stems from video evidence showing Malema firing a rifle in the air in front of supporters at a party rally. The court found him guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging a firearm in public, and reckless endangerment.

Malema, leader of the radical left-wing EFF, had argued during proceedings that the weapon was a toy and that the act was merely symbolic. However, the court dismissed his defence, ruling that the act constituted a clear breach of the Firearms Control Act.