South African opposition figure Malema sentenced to five years in prison

South African opposition politician Julius Malema has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of the illegal possession of a gun and firing it in public.

Malema's lawyer said he would be appealing against the decision to prevent the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters and member of parliament from being taken away to prison.

Standing in court in a dark suit and red tie, Malema showed little emotion as the magistrate read out the sentence.

Last year, he was convicted of five offences, including the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging it in a public space and reckless endangerment.

The charges relate to an incident in 2018 when a video emerged showing Malema using a semi-automatic rifle to fire several shots in the air during his party's fifth anniversary celebrations held in the country's Eastern Cape province.

Receiving a sentence of more than one year disqualifies him from being an MP, but that will not be applied until his opportunities to appeal have been exhausted.

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