President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed disappointment at the Constitutional Court's decision to release Chris Hani's killer Janusz Waluś on parole.
Speaking after concluding his two-day visit to the UK, Ramaphosa said he could not imagine what Hani's family were going through.
“One cannot but feel the pain that the family and his widow Limpho Hani are going through. I have not had a discussion with her and the family yet, but one feels the heavy burden and pain that have been thrust on her and the family’s shoulders.”
The apex court this week ordered that Waluś be placed on parole within 10 days. Chief justice Raymond Zondo said the decision by justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola to deny Waluś parole was irrational and should be reviewed and set aside.
Ramaphosa said: “It is disappointing because Hani was an iconic figure in our struggle. If you look at it carefully, [Hani's death led to] our democracy. In the end we attained an election date — [it] was pivoted on the tragedy that our country went through when Hani was killed.
“So you could say that Hani’s death was part of what spawned the democracy we have and it is unfortunate.”
Ramaphosa said he would read the judgment to see the reasoning behind the decision.
On the Supreme Court of Appeal's dismissal, with costs, of former president Jacob Zuma’s appeal against the setting aside of his medical parole by the Pretoria high court, Ramaphosa said South Africans must let the law take its course.
The court ruled the decision to grant Zuma medical parole last year, against the advice of the specialist medical parole advisory board, was unlawful.
“I believe the department of correctional services is going to appeal that decision, so I think we should allow that process,” said Ramaphosa.
He said he did not believe the decision would lead to unrest because other processes were expected to follow.
“The period of that whole sentence, in my view, seems to have already run out. We should allow those legal processes to ensue and see what happens.”
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