Tanzania, April 16 -- Johannesburg. South African opposition leader Julius Malema was sentenced ‌to five years in jail on Thursday for firing a rifle in the air at a rally, a judgement that could bar the prominent campaigner from parliament.

The 45-year-old stayed in court in KuGompo City as magistrates ​considered whether to accept an appeal against the sentence. It was not immediately ​clear if that process would delay his transfer to prison.

Malema, head of ⁠the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, the fourth-biggest party in parliament, was convicted last year on five ​charges after firing the gun at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province in 2018.

"It is clear that ​if crimes are allowed to go unc...