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‘Unrepentant Janusz Waluś must rot in jail,’ says SACP’s Solly Mapaila
Mapaila says the ConCourt's ruling is disrespecting South Africans who fought against apartheid.
Picture File: SACP general-secretary Solly Mapaila. Picture: Gallo Images/City Press/Tebogo Letsie
We are not calling for public violence but we are going to fight properly.
This is the message from the general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Solly Mapaila.
Mapaila was speaking during a picket at the Constitutional Court on Saturday in Johannesburg, following the court’s order on Monday for the release of Janusz Waluś on parole.
Waluś was convicted in 1993 for murdering former SACP leader and liberation struggle icon, Chris Hani.
In a unanimous judgment, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said in weighing the history of administrative decision-making on Waluś’s repeated failed attempts to secure parole, he was deeply mindful of the severity of the crime and the calamity it nearly caused.
ALSO READ: ConCourt orders Lamola to release Janusz Waluś on parole
However the judgment did not sit well with many and according to Mapaila, the ruling was disrespecting South Africans who fought against apartheid.
“This democracy just appoints everyone to be a judge and we are getting enough of being disrespected.
“With great respect to Chief Justice Zondo, this judgment in several respects affirms apartheid-era justice and what is also concerning about this judgment is that it was a unanimous one,” said Mapaila.
Call for judiciary to transform
He said another most worrying factor was the manner in which judgment was delivered, saying when making judgments, the judiciary must not abuse its powers.
Mapaila said theirs is not to condemn the judiciary but to say the judiciary must transform.
“Mrs Limpho Hani was once told in a court to move on and these justices here don’t talk about that and so we are attacked by the court process. We are attacked by the right-wingers, by this Janusz Waluś and his entire network and we cannot be protected by the law.”
Hani’s widow, Limpho, also sharply attacked the apex court over the ruling.
RELATED: Hani’s widow furious with judges after Waluś given parole
SACP writes to Lamola
Mapaila said a letter to the Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola was sent on Friday wherein they outline the steps the SACP and the Hani family intend to take against the ruling, stressing that they do not want Waluś to be released.
“We are also considering taking the matter to the African Courts and the commission of Human and Peoples Rights because the Constitutional Court when they made the ruling, they did not talk to us, its as if we don’t exist, they just disregarded us.
“They [judges] wanted to send a clear message to the ruling ANC, that they will not carry out political instructions but let me tell them whatever they are carrying out are political instructions because politics is the centre of all superstructures,” he said.
Mapaila said it was a criminal assassin’s rights that were considered, but not that of the Hani family.
He said their rolling mass action was expected to last until April next year during Hani’s death commemoration, which will be followed by a complete Chris Hani year.
“For us, Chris Hani will never die and the Constitutional Court cannot kill Hani.
“We are also looking at a stay of prosecution on this matter with our lawyers and we will be filing this document as soon as possible because this judgment wanted us not to refer to apartheid but the rights of a criminal assassin are made superior,” Mapaila said.
Mapaila also said they were not calling for public violence but said they are going to fight “proper”.
“We are calling for disciplined mass mobilisation and Waluś will never leave this country.
“He [Waluś] must not enjoy life after prison… this unrepentant murder’s home is in prison and he must rot in prison,” Mapaila added.
Meanwhile, among the leaders who took part in the picket included Jacob Mmamabolo and ANC chairperson in Gauteng Panyaza Lesufi.
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