Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison after a magistrate found him guilty of firing an automatic rifle into the air at a 2018 rally. The conviction, stemming from charges filed last year, removes him from Parliament and his party leadership under a rule barring lawmakers sentenced to more than twelve months.

The court hearing in KuGompo City drew thousands of supporters who stood in silence as magistrate Twanet Olivier reminded Malema that his position carries public accountability. Prosecutors argued the maximum penalty of fifteen years was warranted because a sitting MP appeared to flout the law on the, while his defense stressed no injuries occurred and the act was symbolic.

Malema’s party, which captured under 10 % of the vote in the 2024 election, has framed the verdict as a politically motivated effort to placate U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of South Africa. The ruling removes a key opposition voice and may affect the EFF’s ability to push its wealth‑redistribution agenda, leaving investors to reassess political risk for the next electoral cycle.