Julius Malema, leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, was sentenced to five years in prison today for firing a rifle in the air at a 2018 party rally and illegal firearm possession. The magistrate allowed him to appeal, so he will not be imprisoned immediately—a decision that preserves his ability to continue as an MP while the case proceeds through the courts. Malema, whose party became South Africa's fourth-largest in the 2024 elections, has vowed to challenge the conviction all the way to the Constitutional Court and called imprisonment a 'badge of honour' for the revolution.