Reportage
South Africa: rally against the decision to release Janusz Walus
ANC members at a previous demonstration on November 24, 2022 in Cape Town against the release of Janusz Walus.
© ESA ALEXANDER / REUTERS
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The imminent release of Janusz Walus, the assassin of communist leader Chris Hani, does not pass in South Africa.
To denounce this decision, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the ANC organized a small rally in front of the Constitutional Court.
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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Romain Chanson
The weak mobilization contrasts with the testimonies of anger that have been expressed for a week in the media and on social networks.
The decision to release Janusz Walus is misunderstood, as Solly Mapaila, general secretary of the South African Communist Party, points out.
“
He never told the truth.
That's why we always opposed his release.
The Constitutional Court ignored our rights as victims, as well as the rights of comrade Hani's family.
»
The misunderstanding has sometimes turned into a direct attack on the South African judicial system.
Some criticism coming from the ANC, the ruling party.
This distrust vis-à-vis the Constitutional Court shocks part of public opinion.
“
He should not expect a warm welcome
”
Criticizing the judges is not calling into question the Constitution, defends Panyaza Lesufi, provincial president of the ANC.
“
We make our disappointment, our feeling of betrayal, heard.
But we are an institution that respects the law and the Constitution
, he claims.
We even recognize the rights of this murderer, but he must know that we are angry and that he should not expect a warm welcome when he leaves prison.
»
Janusz Walus is to be released after 29 years behind bars.
This 69-year-old Pole and far-right activist killed Chris Hani in April 1993 to destabilize the country ahead of the
first democratic elections in 1994
, ending the apartheid regime.
Sentenced first to the death penalty and then to life in prison, he has been eligible for parole since 2005, but his requests had
always been rejected
.
On Monday, November 21, the Constitutional Court ordered his release within 10 days.
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