A South African court sentenced Julius Malema to five years in prison for unlawfully firing a gun during a political rally.

The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters was found guilty in 2018 for firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air while the party was celebrating its fifth anniversary in the Eastern Cape.

Magistrate Twanet Olivier, who made the decision in East London, declared that Malema had willfully broken firearm regulations. It wasn’t an act of impulse. Rejecting claims that the action was impulsive, she declared, “It was the event of the evening.”

Malema was convicted last year on several counts, including reckless endangerment, discharging a weapon in a public area, and unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition. He defended himself by saying he fired the shots to energize the crowd and that the gun was not his.

In order to avoid his immediate incarceration while the legal process is ongoing, his attorney promptly filed an appeal. The length of the sentence may also have political ramifications, such as the potential for disqualification from public office.

Hundreds of supporters, many dressed in the EFF’s signature red attire, gathered outside the court during sentencing in what has been described as a politically charged case. Following the conviction, Malema remained defiant, telling supporters: “Going to prison or death is a badge of honour. We cannot be scared of prison [or] to die for the revolution.”

A former youth leader of the African National Congress, Malema founded the EFF after his expulsion from the ruling party. Known for his outspoken and radical political stance, he has been a prominent figure in South African politics, particularly advocating for land reform and economic redistribution.

The case was initially brought forward by Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum after video footage of the incident circulated online.