S. African ruling party members rally against release of Chris Hani's killer

Members of South Africa's ruling party rallied outside the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on Monday, in protest against the release on parole of Janusz Walus, the killer of anti-apartheid icon Chris Hani.

The High Court in Pretoria on Thursday ruled that Walus should be released on parole in 14 days.

Walus, a Polish immigrant, shot dead Hani, who was leader of the South African Communist Party, near Johannesburg in April 1993, in a move aimed at deterring attempts to end apartheid.

He was initially sentenced to death but that was converted to life in prison after the abolition of capital punishment in South Africa.

Taking part in Monday's rally, Hani's widow Limpho accused the judge, Nicoline Janse van Nieuwenhuizen, of being a "racist".

"It was quite interesting for a white judge in this country to say to me that I should forget and move on, that is why I called her a racist," Limpho said.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has criticized the court ruling and demanded the immediate deportation of Walus to his country of origin on his release.

"Walus' imminent release is a travesty of justice and a tragedy for the Hani family and all South Africans who believe in human rights and who held a firm belief in our right to fight for freedom," said ANC spokesperson, Zizi Kodwa.

Hani's death robbed South Africa of a committed revolutionary who embodied the undying resolve to freedom and liberation by the South African people, the ANC says.

Hani was also head of the armed wing of the ANC, the former organization promoting the rights of the black South African population which is now in power. Endit