(Bloomberg) -- A South African magistrate's court sentenced Bathabile Dlamini, a former welfare minister and head of the ruling party's womens' league, to a fine of 200,000 rand ($13,709) or four years in prison after she was convicted of perjury last month.
Dlamini was found guilty of lying under oath in testimony at a Constitutional Court inquiry in 2018 into a crisis over welfare-grant payments. She now faces the possibility of being forced to resign from her senior positions in the African National Congress after the party implemented a policy that compels members charged with serious crimes to temporarily vacate their roles.
Dlamini's prosecution and conviction have been criticized as politically motivated by factions in the ANC who are opposed President Cyril Ramaphosa, as the party prepares for internal leadership elections at the end of the year.
Half of the Dlamini's sentence, which was handed down by Magistrate Betty Khumalo in Johannesburg on Friday, was suspended for five years on condition that she isn't convicted of the same offense.
Read: South African Politician Dlamini Charged, Stoking Tensions
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