ATM’s Zungula say it’s an injustice to have Walus on parole while political prisoners are still in jail

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission denied amnesty to the killers, Clive Derby-Lewis (L) and Janusz Walus, of SACP leader Chris Hani. Picture: Juda Ngwenya Reuters

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission denied amnesty to the killers, Clive Derby-Lewis (L) and Janusz Walus, of SACP leader Chris Hani. Picture: Juda Ngwenya Reuters

Published Nov 22, 2022

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Johannesburg - African Transformation Movement (ATM) president Vuyo Zungula is among plenty of political actors who have slammed the granting of parole to the murderer of late liberation stalwart Chris Hani, Janusz Walus, by Constitutional Court Judge Raymond Zondo yesterday.

In a tweet, Zungula said that there were still Azanian People’s Liberation Army (Apla) political prisoners who fought for our freedom and were still in jail with no hope of being released on parole.

“Janusz Walus, a racist who almost sparked civil war in South Africa, is released. The judiciary has meted out an injustice that has the potential to disrupt peace in South Africa,” read the tweet.

The PAC also took to Twitter to vent their frustration, calling the judgment an injustice.

“The PAC, AZANYU, and PASO’s leadership and members were in full force at FNB Stadium during the night vigil, as well as at the funeral in Boksburg. Africanist forces came on buses from all over Azania to pay their respects to this leader of the 1967 Wankie Operation,” read one tweet.

The party further highlighted that it has been at the forefront for the release of incarcerated soldiers of Apla and that the judgment spat in the face of Hani and all the Apla prisoners as well as real leaders of the liberation movement.

Speaking to the media after the judgment, SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila said the judgment was shattering.

“The has been a lot of falsifications that have reached this level, whether it’s the issue of victim offender dialogue, which has not been properly done and we have demonstrated how Janusz Walus’s legal team tried to falsify this process,” he said.

Mapaila said that justice has given birth to injustice, saying that the midwives of justice in the country have become its victims.

He said that Walus did not meet the criteria to even be considered for parole.

“In fact, in jail, Janusz Walus even attacked other prisoners. One person even had a picture of Nelson Mandela, and he attacked it. How is that remorseful?” added Mapaila.

He said that all these matters were not considered, but even though this was an injustice, the court's judgment must be accepted.

“We have to accept that justice as it is meted out today is not justice of the people. I think we need to reach a stage where people can enjoy their true freedom. The sacrifices like people like Comrade Hani and others, that the people on a daily basis live those sacrifices. Not to be confronted with injustices one after the other using the platform of justice,” he said.

The Star