Pretoria - The hopes of Chris Hani’s Polish killer Janusz Walus to return to Poland following his release on parole were dashed after 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 here.
In a statement issued yesterday 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.
The minister granted Walus an exemption in terms of the Immigration Act which affords him the rights of permanent residence in South Africa for the parole period and subsequent parole conditions which are yet to be announced by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola.
According to the statement, a letter was addressed to Walus and a certificate of exemption had been forwarded to Lamola in this regard, which is to be delivered to Walus at Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria where he is still incarcerated.
The letter set out the exceptional circumstances requiring the granting of the exemption which, among others, include that it would be in the interests of justice that Walus serves his sentence to the fullest, including parole in South Africa, the statement read.
It is further said that Motsoaledi noted the media speculation that Walus would serve his parole period in Poland.
“In light of the exemption issued by the minister, this speculation cannot be correct and the Department of Home Affairs would not be involved in any deportation process of Mr Walus to the Republic of Poland,” Bongi Gwala, head of communications at Home Affairs said.
He added that the department’s stance was that Walus must serve his parole period in South Africa as part of his sentence.
“It is clear from the media reports that the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, believes that if Walus is deported to Poland, he won’t serve any parole in the Republic of Poland because the Constitutional Court judgment is not binding on that country.
“The minister of Home Affairs further believes that the heinous crime committed to the people of South Africa by murdering one of the icons of the liberation Struggle makes it obligatory that Mr Walus must serve his parole period as part of his sentence in the Republic of South Africa,” the statement said.
While it is not yet known exactly when Walus will be released, the Constitutional Court last week ordered that this had to be done within 10 days of the judgment.
Any hopes by Walus to spend his 70th birthday in January in Poland were dashed by Home Affairs, but he can look forward to soon leaving prison which was his home for the past 29 years.
He was arrested within hours of the April 10, 1993 assassination of SACP leader Hani outside his Boksburg home.
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, in overturning Lamola’s earlier decision not to release Walus on parole, left the conditions of parole to the minister to decide.
Pretoria News