[imagesource: YouTube / Africanews]

In April 1993, Polish national Janusz Walus assassinated Chris Hani in Boksburg.

Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC).

The Constitutional Court recently stated that Walus must be released on parole and there’s been a huge amount of backlash to that announcement.

Just a day before Walus’ attorney said he was due to be released from Kgosi Mampuru prison, the 69-year-old murderer was stabbed in an attack that leaves some questions unanswered.

News24 reports:

[The attack] was unexpected as the two men had lived in the same housing unit and shared a “cordial relationship”, according to source familiar with the incident’s details.

[Walus] was queuing for dinner when another prisoner allegedly stabbed him in his upper body with a sharp object…

The source said the attack on Walus was “bizarre” and “very strange” as the two men had lived in the same housing unit within the prison for years and shared a collegial relationship.

Samuel Mandla Madonsela, who is serving life after being found guilty of murder and attempted murder, has been identified as the attacker.

There have been no reported incidents of Walus and Madonsela butting heads prior to the stabbing.

Social media is awash with all sorts of conspiracies (it was orchestrated to distract from President Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala news, it was done so Walus would be sent back to Poland, and so on). I don’t really buy into any of those, but there is something odd about the timing of the attack.

So the inmates waited 28 years to only stab Janusz Walus today ? pic.twitter.com/JHQge6G0Pa

— Rex The Gemini (@Rex_The_Gemini) November 29, 2022

In a separate report, News24 outlined Madonsela’s past crimes:

Madonsela was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted for the murder of Lieutenant-Colonel Authon Dominic Stevens and the attempted murder of Lieutenant-Colonel Isak Karan on 8 November 2007.

Madonsela had failed the officers’ course twice and after being told to leave the college, he walked into the offices of Stevens and Karan and opened fire.

He denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty, but was done in by overwhelming evidence linking him to the shooting.

The issue of where Walus will spend his time on parole has also proven controversial. If he returns to Poland, he will receive a hero’s welcome from far-right figures.

Although Walus had his South African citizenship revoked in 2017, the Department of Home Affairs granted Walus an exemption to serve his parole period in South Africa.

His lawyer, Julian Knight, is now pushing back against this and says he will take the fight all the way to the Constitutional Court. TimesLIVE below:

Knight said the decision to grant his client permanent residence in SA was at odds with the constitution on two points.

First, permanent residence could only be granted if it had been applied for, which Walus had not done, Knight said. Second, a convicted criminal was automatically disqualified from receiving permanent residence.

However, home affairs has rubbished these claims as “twisted logic and flawed argument”.

It remains to be seen when Walus will be released on parole – he is said to be “fully responsive and stable” – and where he will go when that happens.

If he does stay in South Africa, you’d imagine he will need an ace security team to prevent further harm.

[sources:news24&news24&timeslive]