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Convicted murderer of S. African party leader gets parole

Xinhua, March 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled on Thursday that Janusz Walus, convicted murderer of South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani, be released on parole.

Walus's lawyer Roelof Plessis confirmed to the media that Walus would be freed on parole.

However, the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services said it was still studying the judgment and would decide whether to appeal it.

"I cannot confirm that he will be freed on parole. What I can confirm is that the judge said he must be placed on parole in 14 days and given bail conditions," ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga told the African News Agency (ANA).

"We still have to reflect on the judgment and decide whether we will appeal or not," he added.

Walus, a Polish immigrant, shot and killed Hani near Johannesburg on April 10, 1993. He was initially sentenced to death but this was converted to life in prison after the abolition of capital punishment.

The SACP has not yet made comment on the news. A call to the SACP headquarters in Johannesburg went unanswered. Enditem