Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has denied Janusz Walus’ parole. Walus was jailed for the assassination of former Secretary General of the South African Communist Party (SACP), Chris Hani, in 1993.
Lamola announced his decision on the parole reconsideration of Walus as directed by the High Court in Pretoria.
The court had previously set aside former Justice Minister Michael Masutha’s decision to refuse Walus’ parole in September 2018.
The Ministry’s spokesperson Chrispin Phiri says many factors lead to the minister’s decision to deny the parole.
Walus shot and killed Hani, outside his home in Boksburg east of Johannesburg in April 1993.
In September 2018, the High Court ruled that the parole board failed to include relevant information in its recommendation to the Justice minister.
This includes among others, the failure by the parole board to offer Walus a chance to reply to its suggestion that he remains incarcerated. Several attempts for his release have repeatedly been denied.
The decision then went back to Lamola to decide the fate of Walus.
Walus was sentenced to death for the assassination of Hani in 1993. His death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
