South Africa deporting assassin of anti-apartheid leader to Poland

The man who killed South African anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani, who was released from prison on parole in 2022, is being deported to Poland, the government announced Friday.

Janusz Walus, 71, a Polish immigrant with links to the Afrikaner far right, was convicted for the 1993 murder of Hani, a leader in the freedom-fighting African National Congress, during tense talks to end white rule and hold the first democratic elections.

Calling it a "difficult day for all of us", Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber told a press briefing Friday that "South African taxpayers, including Chris Hani's widow, will not be paying for the deportation of this individual."

He added that Poland would bear the cost.

Hani's murder had exacerbated racial tensions and sparked violent riots.

Walus was arrested minutes after the killing, with police finding the murder weapon in his car and traces of blood on his shirt.

He was convicted and handed the death penalty, which was commuted to a life sentence in 2000.

His first attempt at parole in 2011 was denied, but the country's highest court eventually ruled in his favour.

He was granted parole in November 2022, evoking painful memories of the apartheid era. Ahead of his release, he was stabbed in prison and hospitalized until his release date.

Walus had his South African citizenship revoked in 2017, leaving him as solely a Polish national, according to Minister of the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

His two-year parole period ended Friday, prompting the decision to deport him.

Hani, a father aged 50 at the time of his death, was the general secretary of the South African Communist party, allied with the ANC, and is considered a hero of the anti-apartheid struggle.

His death is commemorated annually in South Africa.