Economic Freedom Fighters leader 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.

Magistrate Twanet Olivier delivered her ruling at the East London Regional Court in KuGompo City, Eastern Cape.

Malema's lawyer said that he would appeal the decision.

The opposition leader was convicted last year on five charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place, over the 2018 incident at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province. According to the charges, Malema fired several shots in the air during his party's fifth anniversary celebrations in 2018 after using a semi-automatic rifle.

The EFF is the fourth-biggest party in parliament.