By Karabo Rammutla
Just a day before he was set to be released on parole, Chris Hani’s murderer, Janusz Walus, has been stabbed at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility in Tshwane.
Walus was rushed to a prison hospital and remains in a stable condition after he was stabbed at approximately 5pm on Tuesday by another inmate.
An insider told the Sowetan that Walus’s attacker is a former uMkhonto we Sizwe soldier serving a life sentence.
In a statement, the Department of Correctional Services’s Singabakho Nxumalo confirmed the incident.
“What can be stated at this point is that inmate Walus is stable and DCS healthcare officials are providing the necessary care,” he said, adding that a detailed incident report will be provided at a later stage.
“Stabbing and other forms of disturbances are offences not warranted in a correctional environment and this case will be investigated,” he said.
Walus, now aged 69, was convicted for the murder of South African Communist Party leader and anti-apartheird icon Chris Hani in 1993.
His case drew widespread media attention last week when it was announced that Walus would be released on parole.
In a landmark ruling, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo gave the Department of Justice and Correctional Services 10 days to release Walus.
The Constitutional Court set aside Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola’s March 2020 decision to refuse Walus parole.
Lamola was also ordered to pay Walus’s legal costs.
Walus, a Polish immigrant, had his South African citizenship revoked in 2017. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs said this week that it had granted him a permanent residency for the parole period.
Pictured above: Chris Hani’s murderer Janusz Walus has been stabbed in prison
Picture source: @sa_crime
