South African opposition politician Julius Malema has been sentenced to prison for firing a rifle into the air at a party rally.

Malema, leader of the far-left opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was handed a five-year sentence on Thursday by Magistrate Twanet Olivier.

He was convicted last year on charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place, following a 2018 incident at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province.

The 45-year-old, who leads the fourth-largest party in Parliament, had pleaded not guilty, arguing that the gun was a toy. His defence maintained that the shots were intended to be celebratory.

“It wasn’t … an impulsive act,” the magistrate said. “It was the event of the evening.”

The court sentenced Malema to five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and two years for unlawful possession of ammunition. He was also fined for three other offences, including discharging a firearm in a built-up area, with additional prison terms to apply if the fines are not paid. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Within minutes of the ruling being delivered at the court in KuGompo City, formerly East London, Malema’s lawyers applied for leave to appeal — a request that was subsequently granted.

Outside the court, hundreds of red-clad EFF supporters gathered during the sentencing in what has become a politically charged case.

The EFF, a small but vocal party, has described the prosecution as an attempt to silence its outspoken leader, who is known for his fiery rhetoric. Party supporters have threatened protests should he be jailed.

However, the magistrate stressed that “it is not a political party that has been convicted here … it is a person, an individual”.

The maximum possible sentence for the offences was 15 years’ imprisonment. If upheld after the appeals process, the five-year sentence would disqualify Malema from serving as a lawmaker.

Such an outcome would represent a significant setback for the EFF, which enjoys strong support among young South Africans frustrated by persistent racial inequality since the end of white minority rule in 1994.