Janusz Walus officially placed on parole
Chris Hani's killer Janusz Walus has officially been placed on parole after he was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.
His release follows last month’s Constitutional Court ruling, which ordered the government to release the Polish immigrant on parole.
Walus has served 28 years of a life sentence for murdering then-SACP leader Chris Hani in 1993.
Walus, 69, was previously denied parole for his actions, which took South Africa to the brink of a race war as negotiations to end apartheid entered their final phase.
His release has been slammed by many South Africans and various political parties.
Walus was admitted to a medical facility shortly after the apex court ruling after he was stabbed by a fellow inmate on the eve of his initial release date.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Department of Justice and Correctional Services confirmed that he has been officially released on parole “under strict conditions”.
Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri says he will only serve two years under community corrections in line with the parole regime upon which he is released.
"There is no question that offender Walus is a polarizing figure in our budding constitutional democracy, and that his release has understandably re-opened wounds among some in society, especially the family of the late struggle icon Chris Hani.
“Offender 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 blood-letting on the other, was constantly one bad decision away.
“His killing of Hani was unqualifiedly among those actions that sought to condemn the country to the latter fate, had it not been for the inspired leadership of our nation’s founders and the resolve of the people of South Africa," adds Phiri.
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