Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years direct imprisonment in his firearm handling and discharge case, following his appearance in the East London Regional Court on Thursday, 16 of April, 2026.
He was convicted on five counts last October, including violating the Firearms Control Act after firing live rounds during his party’s birthday celebrations in 2018.
The sentence, handed down by Magistrate Twanet Olivier in a packed courtroom, marks one of the most consequential moments in South African opposition politics in recent memory.
In delivering the sentence, Magistrate Olivier said it was “nonsensical” that the defence had been downplaying the discharge of the firearm as a celebratory shot, adding that Malema knew what he was doing was unlawful.
She ruled that the events were pre-planned ahead of the EFF’s birthday celebrations, saying it was not an impulsive act but rather “the event of the evening,” requiring considerable planning as to how and when the firearm would be possessed and fired.
The five-year term was applied to the count of unlawful possession of a firearm, with additional sentences of two years for unlawful possession of ammunition and fines of R20,000 each on the remaining counts.
Under South African law, a sentence of more than 12 months in prison means Malema will lose his seat as a parliamentarian.
However, Malema had already signalled his intention to fight the outcome, saying ahead of the verdict that regardless of the sentence, he would appeal, and that an appeal would suspend the jail term.
The EFF’s student wing had previously threatened to render South Africa ungovernable if Malema is sent to jail , and large crowds of supporters gathered outside the court, reflecting the deep political fault lines the case has exposed across the country.
