Janusz Walus placed on parole, effective on Wednesday

Chris Hani’s killer has been placed on parole, effective on Wednesday.

In a statement, minister of justice and correctional services Ronald Lamola announced he has placed Janus Walus on parole under strict conditions with effect from Wednesday.

Walus, whose release on parole was ordered by the Constitutional Court two weeks ago, was stabbed by a fellow inmate at Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria on Tuesday last week.

He has been receiving treatment in hospital since the stabbing. 

On November 21, the Constitutional Court ordered that Walus, who murdered SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani in 1993, be released on parole within 10 days. 

In a statement, Lamola said Walus was only discharged from hospital on Wednesday. 

“He will serve two years under community corrections in line with the parole regime upon which he is released. There is no question Walus is a polarising figure in our budding constitutional democracy and that his release has understandably reopened wounds among some in society, especially the family of Hani,” Lamola said in a statement.

The minister went on to detail how Walus almost derailed the democratic project by killing Hani.

“Walus’ actions sought to derail the democratic project at its most critical, formative stage, when the choice of either setting the country on a sustainable path of peace, democracy and reconciliation on the one hand, or chaos, civil strife and bloodletting on the other, was constantly one bad decision away,” Lamola said. 

The minister said in previously denying Walus parole, the decision was not in the spirit of avenging a stalwart of the liberation struggle, but it has always been within the context of giving effect to the interests of justice, from the perspective of what the sentencing court sought to achieve.

“Our courts on previous occasions reminded us that our constitution is located in a history which involves a transition from a society based on division, injustice and exclusion from the democratic process to one which respects the dignity of all citizens, and includes all in the process of governance. As such, the process of interpreting the constitution must recognise the context in which we find ourselves and the constitution’s goal of a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights,” Lamola said.

“This spirit of transition and transformation characterises the constitutional enterprise as a whole. Our parole system is not a wanton licence for unaccountability and impunity. Neither does it nullify the original verdict and sentence imposed by the courts.

“Parole is an acknowledged part of our correctional system. It has proved to be a vital part of reformative treatment for the paroled person who is treated by moral persuasion. This is consistent with the law; that everyone has the right not to be deprived of freedom arbitrarily or without just cause, and that sentenced offenders have the right to benefit from the least severe of the prescribed punishments.

“It is our long-standing vision that the laws of the country are there to advance and uphold the rights of everybody on an equal basis, regardless of colour, gender, language, religion, or culture.”

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