PRETORIA – Authorities reported Tuesday that far-right gunman Janusz Walus, who killed South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero Chris Hani more than three decades ago, was stabbed while being held in custody.
Walus was stabbed only days before he was scheduled to be freed on parole after serving nearly 30 years in prison.
He was apparently stabbed by another inmate, and his status is stable.
In 1993, Walus, currently aged 69 years old, shot Hani in an effort to obstruct South Africa’s shift from white minority rule to democratic governance.
In South Africa, the murder continues to stir up strong feelings. After anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani was considered to be the most well-liked politician.
Walus’s attempts to obtain his freedom were vehemently resisted by the government of South Africa and Hani’s wife Limpho.
The justice minister’s rejection to grant him parole, however, was deemed “irrational” by South Africa’s highest court on 21 November, chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Zondo ordered the release of Walus within 10 days of the verdict in a move that has since sent tongues wagging in South Africa with the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) calling it vapid.
