Canada
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Janusz Walus, apartheid-era killer of South African icon Chris Hani, released on parole

Court decision has caused furor and sparked street protests

Janusz Walus testifies at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing at Pretoria City Hall in Pretoria, South Africa, Aug. 20, 1997.
Janusz Walus testifies at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing at Pretoria City Hall in Pretoria, South Africa, Aug. 20, 1997. Photo by Files /Reuters

JOHANNESBURG — Janusz Walus, a far-right extremist who assassinated South African anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani nearly thirty years ago, has been released on parole, authorities said on Wednesday.

A Polish citizen who emigrated to South Africa in 1981, Walus, 69, was granted parole by the Constitutional Court in late November after serving nearly 30 years of his life sentence for Hani’s murder.

As the Canadian national soccer teams head to their respective FIFA World Cups, Derek Van Diest is on the scene to cover all the action. Expect expert insights and analysis in your inbox daily throughout the tournaments, and weekly on Thursdays for the rest of the season.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

The decision has caused furor and sparked street protests in South Africa, where some say the prospect of Walus’ release re-opened deep wounds of racial inequality.

His parole takes effect from Dec. 7, the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services said in a statement.

“He will serve two years under community corrections in line with the parole regime upon which he is released,” it said.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Walus was initially expected to be released last week, but was admitted to a hospital after being stabbed by a fellow prison inmate. Authorities said he was discharged on Wednesday.

Hani, who was a senior member of the now-ruling African National Congress and head of the South African Communist Party, was shot dead outside his home in Johannesburg in 1993.

His killing triggered nationwide riots that threatened to derail South Africa’s transition to multi-racial democracy after decades of white minority rule under apartheid.

“Offender Walus has been furnished with his parole conditions… If he violates the conditions, he will be returned to a correctional center,” the ministry said.