Pretoria – The ANC in Gauteng has declared today as the Martin Thembisile Chris Hani Day of Action, and will today march to the Kgosi Mampuru Prison where Hani’s assassin, Janusz Walus, is set to be released after the unanimous decision by the Constitutional Court to grant him parole.
Dubbed “Don’t kill Chris Hani again”, the ANC protest will be supported by alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
“The assassination of Comrade Chris Hani was tantamount to treason and remains one of the most painful occurrences in our country’s trajectory and fight for freedom, robbing our country of one of its greatest sons,” said ANC Gauteng provincial secretary, Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza.
“Occurring at the height of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) negotiations, the assassination of Cde Chris Hani brought our country to the brink of civil war, and emboldened the neo-Nazi, white-supremacist and racist right-wing element, which deepened its targeted violence against black people.”
The ANC activists are set to meet at Burgers Park in Pretoria CBD, before marching across town to the correctional services facility.
Walus, who is set to be released from the Pretoria prison on Thursday, was stabbed by a fellow inmate on Tuesday.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said Walus was in a stable condition after he was stabbed in prison.
Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, confirmed that Walus was stabbed by an inmate.
“A detailed incident report is to be provided at a later stage, but what can be stated at this point is that inmate Walus is stable and DCS health-care officials are providing the necessary care,” he said.
Nxumalo said the stabbing will be investigated as stabbings and other forms of disturbances are offences not warranted in a correctional environment.
The Polish immigrant, convicted for the murder of Chris Hani n 1993, was set to be released on parole on Thursday after a Constitutional Court order last week.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that he had granted an exemption in order for Walus to remain in the country and to serve his parole in South Africa.
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, the minister said the exemption contained a condition that Walus may not use any travel document and/or passport issued by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland to return to the country of his origin.
Walus’s lawyer Julian Knight said the decision was unfair.
