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The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly opposes the application for the release of Janusz Waluś, the assassin who pulled the trigger on 10 April 1993, killing SACP General Secretary Chris Hani. Today the North Gauteng High Court in the City of Tshwane heard the assassin's application for parole. The SACP was well represented in the court, making clear its stance against parole for the assassin who pretends to be remorseful.

At their Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, where they were denied amnesty because there was no full disclosure of the truth, Waluś and his co-conspirator Clive Derby-Lewis casually conceded that their assassination of Hani was designed to provoke a racial civil war. They almost succeeded. The assassination of Hani left a gaping wound that still bleeds to this day. This has to be taken into account in the public interest.

The assassination of Hani sparked society-wide anger. This resulted in a difficult situation for the SACP and ANC leadership to manage, leading to President Nelson Mandela addressing the nation while he was not yet officially the President of South Africa. Joe Slovo led the SACP nationwide to prevent any further spilling of blood. It took monumental efforts to stop the war in the interest of a transition from apartheid to democracy, with a definite date for the first democratic election shortly set.

It is without a doubt that the crime committed by Waluś and his co-conspirator Clive Derby-Lewis was of such a magnitude that they could not have acted alone. There were others who were complicit either in the planning or execution of the assassination, or in both the connected criminal activities and/or who knew about the assassination before it was carried out. The murder weapon used by Waluś was taken from military armoury. Details pertaining to who took the gun, whose hands did it go through until it was used in the final stage of the assassination, and all other connected details, remain part of the hidden truth. There must be full disclosure of the truth towards justice and closure.

We usually do not comment on media conduct regarding the parole applications by the unrepentant assassin. A consistent pattern that continued today at the court forces us to voice our concern, looking back to the role played by complicit media during apartheid. A certain section of the media attended the court to listen to one side of the story only, that of the assassin, and immediately leave to file stories without listening to the other side. This is unfair and biased.

Having heard all sides, the court reserved judgment. The SACP remains firm to the end in seeking justice for Hani and the people.

Issued by The SACP