Julius Sello Malema is a one of Africa’s popular and controversial politicians. He is from South Africa and was born on March 3, 1981.
Since 2013, he has been the leader and founder of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a black nationalist and communist political organization.
Throughout his political career, Malema has been involved in a number of legal troubles. In March 2010, he was found guilty of hate speech after making disparaging remarks about Zuma’s rape allegation.
Malema spoke out against a white guy who assaulted EFF party members in 2022. Malema was found guilty of hate speech in 2025 for, according to the court, “calling for [racists] to be killed” as a result of the speech.
Now, Malem, amidst another court trouble, is on his way to jail for a period of five years because of a gun stunt.
What crime did Julius Malema commit?
At an anniversary event for his Economic Freedom Fighters party in 2018, Malema was captured on camera firing into the air with what seemed to be an automatic gun. He was accused of breaking firearms regulations after the video went popular on social media.
On October 1, 2025, the court found him guilty on five counts, rejecting his attorney’s argument that he had used a toy weapon.
“It wasn’t an impulsive act,” the magistrate insisted. “It was the event of the evening.”
His five-year prison sentence today is a devastating blow that essentially renders him ineligible to serve as a member of the South-African parliament. He will file an appeal, but it might take years for any punishment to take effect due to the drawn-out procedure via the nation’s multi-tiered legal system.
What is next for Julius Malema?
Hundreds of Malema’s red-clad EFF supporters gathered outside the courtroom for the politically fraught case’s sentencing. The EFF, a tiny but vocal group, claims the lawsuit is an effort to quiet its vocal leader, who is well-known for his passionate speeches. In the event that their leader is imprisoned, party members have threatened to stage protests.
However, the magistrate has replied that it “is not a political party who has been convicted here… it is a person, an individual.”
ENigeria Newspaper can confirm that, however hard Malema can try to prove guilty, a gun stunt has put a big dent on his political career, alongside his Economic Freedom Fighters party.
