A notorious far-right extremist convicted of the murder of South African anti-apartheid hero Chris Hani is about to be deported to his native Poland, the government said.
Janusz Walus, 71, shot Hani outside his home in 1993 at a tense time as the country was preparing for its first multiracial elections.
He spent nearly three decades in prison in South Africa before being released on parole in 2022, sparking protests and outrage in a country still grappling with racism and the legacy of apartheid.
Walus will leave South Africa on Friday evening and the Polish government will pay for the deportation, Interior Minister Leon Schreiber said.
South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the decision was not a government decision but that they were adhering to the decision of the Constitutional Court.
Schreiber said on X that it was a “painful day” and a reminder of the “dark time” of apartheid for South Africans.
Hani’s widow, Limpho Hani, expressed her fears and condemned the government and the South African Communist Party (SACP) for not informing her until the last minute. She said she was not informed of Walus’ release until Thursday.
Hani was a key member of the African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight against the white minority government and has been in power ever since, as well as head of the South African Communist Party. Since his assassination, he has been revered as a hero of the country’s struggle for freedom and equality.
The ANC reflected on the pain caused by Hani’s killing, saying the release was a reminder of “the bullet that pierced our hearts and killed a father and comrade”.
“Your cowardly hand drips with the blood of a martyr and freedom fighter who paid the ultimate price for freedom and love for humanity, democracy and justice,” it said.
Chris Hani is widely seen as a hero of the struggle for freedom and equality in South Africa [AFP]
Walus moved from Poland to South Africa in 1981 and was granted citizenship, which was revoked after his murder conviction.
He was initially sentenced to death along with his co-defendant Clive Derby-Lewis, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after South Africa abolished the death penalty.
He told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission tribunal in 1997 that he killed Hani to “plunge the country into a state of chaos that would allow the right to take power.”
Walus added that his experiences under communist Poland contributed to his decision to kill Hani.
At the time, many feared that Hani’s murder would spark a race war. Some say it almost derailed South Africa’s transition to democracy.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said at a press conference that Walus had “robbed South Africa of one of its greatest leaders”.
He added that his deportation without a “full confession of his actions and conspiracies is an injustice.”
Mbalula called for a comprehensive investigation into the killing to “uncover the full extent of the crime”. The South African Communist Party has echoed the same sentiments.
Walus has become a notorious figure for far-right circles in Poland. His face is printed on scarves, T-shirts and posters. This merchandise has even been sold in South Africa.
A journalist who interviewed Walus for a book said extremists in the country saw him as “the great hope of the white race.”
Walus has never expressed remorse for Hani’s murder.
You may also be interested in:
[Getty Images/BBC]
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfricaon Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at BBCAfrica
