Press conference on fate of parole bid by Chris Hani's killer cancelled

A press conference scheduled for Monday to announce the decision on the parole bid by Chris Hani's killer has been cancelled.

This was announced on Sunday night after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced stringent measures in the wake of the coronavirus. A meeting of ministers from his cabinet is set to take place on Monday – at the same time the parole announcement was due to be made.

The justice and correctional services department had announced earlier on Sunday that minister Ronald Lamola would provide his decision on the parole reconsideration for offender Janusz Walus on Monday.

Walus was sentenced to death for the assassination of Hani, the general secretary of the SA Communist Party, in 1993. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment when the death penalty was abolished in SA.

The department said that its plans to deal with and manage the coronavirus would also be outlined.