In Johannesburg, it has been confirmed that Janusz Walus, the man convicted of murdering Chris Hani, a prominent anti-apartheid leader in South Africa, will be deported back to Poland following the expiration of his parole. This announcement was made by the government on Friday.
Chris Hani, who served as both the head of Umkhonto we Sizwe—the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC)—and the general secretary of the South African Communist Party, was assassinated outside his Boksburg residence in 1993. This tragic event threatened to destabilize South Africa during its transformation from apartheid to a democratic governance system.
Walus, now 71 years old, spent over 28 years incarcerated after being sentenced to life imprisonment for Hani’s murder. He was placed on parole as a result of a Constitutional Court ruling in 2022.
Clive Derby-Lewis, who was also implicated in the murder alongside Walus, was released on medical parole in 2015 before passing away from cancer in 2016. Initially sentenced to death, both men’s sentences were commuted to life imprisonment when South Africa abolished the death penalty following its shift to democracy. While Derby-Lewis is viewed as the mastermind behind the assassination, Walus pulled the trigger.
The announcement of Walus’ release last year was met with widespread condemnation, inciting protests near the prison where he was held. Notably, he had to be hospitalized after suffering a stabbing in prison shortly before his release.
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the Minister in the Presidency, indicated on Friday that Walus would be sent back to Poland, with the Polish government agreeing to cover all expenses related to his deportation. Ntshavheni reiterated that while Walus was released on parole based on a court decision, the government had consistently opposed his release throughout the years.
“For more than a decade, our justice and correctional services ministers have worked against granting him parole, but the Constitutional Court’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed,” she explained.
Walus initially received an extension of his stay in South Africa after his citizenship was annulled while he was still in prison in 2017. This allowed him to serve his parole in the country rather than facing immediate deportation.
The announcement regarding his deportation sparked outrage from the South African Communist Party, which argues that Walus has never expressed remorse for his actions and continues to withhold essential details surrounding Hani’s murder, including the identity of those who orchestrated it.
The ANC also called for a comprehensive investigation into Hani’s assassination. ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula expressed the party’s sentiment, stating, “Today marks the day when our leader’s murderer will step out of prison, possibly already en route to his homeland, taking with him the truth about the assassination of our leader. This is a stark reminder of the tremendous loss our movement and nation have endured.”
