Chris Hani’s killer granted parole
by Franny Rabkin and Penelope Mashego,
2016-03-10 11:23:52.0
A COURT has ordered that Janusz Walus, who murdered former general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Chris Hani, be released on parole.
The order — by Pretoria High Court Judge Nicoline Janse Van Nieuwenhuizen — said that he should be released within 14 days.
Walus has served 23 years of a life sentence for the murder of the popular liberation hero, which in 1993 shocked the nation. It was widely viewed as a turning point in the negotiated settlement that ended white minority rule.
The SACP reacted angrily to the order, saying that during the hearing Judge Janse Van Nieuwenhuizen had made biased remarks “suggesting that it was time to forget and move on, and that the murderer must be treated with compassion, as if his killing of Hani was compassionate”.
The SACP said it and the Hani family were “not prepared to leave the matter unchallenged”.
“There are many legal difficulties in the judgment and we believe there are good prospects of successfully appealing.”
The African National Congress (ANC) has demanded that Walus be deported.
"The court’s decision to release him exactly a month before we commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the assassination of this towering hero of our struggle is extremely insensitive," the ANC statement said.
The party said Walus, a native of Poland, should be deported immediately.
"Walus’s imminent release is a travesty of justice and a tragedy for the Hani family and all South Africans who believe in human rights and who held a firm belief in our right to fight for freedom," the party said.
Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus appear in front of the Truth and Reconcilaition Commission in June 1997. Picture: ADIL BRADLOW/PICTURENET AFRICA
A COURT has ordered that Janusz Walus, who murdered former general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Chris Hani, be released on parole.
The order — by Pretoria High Court Judge Nicoline Janse Van Nieuwenhuizen — said that he should be released within 14 days.
Walus has served 23 years of a life sentence for the murder of the popular liberation hero, which in 1993 shocked the nation. It was widely viewed as a turning point in the negotiated settlement that ended white minority rule.
The SACP reacted angrily to the order, saying that during the hearing Judge Janse Van Nieuwenhuizen had made biased remarks “suggesting that it was time to forget and move on, and that the murderer must be treated with compassion, as if his killing of Hani was compassionate”.
The SACP said it and the Hani family were “not prepared to leave the matter unchallenged”.
“There are many legal difficulties in the judgment and we believe there are good prospects of successfully appealing.”
The African National Congress (ANC) has demanded that Walus be deported.
"The court’s decision to release him exactly a month before we commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the assassination of this towering hero of our struggle is extremely insensitive," the ANC statement said.
The party said Walus, a native of Poland, should be deported immediately.
"Walus’s imminent release is a travesty of justice and a tragedy for the Hani family and all South Africans who believe in human rights and who held a firm belief in our right to fight for freedom," the party said.
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