NATIONAL NEWS - Judge Selby Baqwa today in the High Court in Pretoria set aside the Justice Minister’s November 2017 decision to refuse Walus parole and referred the matter back to him for a fresh decision.
The department of home affairs’ decision to revoke the South African citizenship and deport the South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani’s assassin Janusz Walus has been set aside and his parole bid referred back to Justice Michael Masutha.

Judge Selby Baqwa today in the Pretoria High Court set aside the justice minister’s November 2017 decision to refuse Walus parole and referred the matter back to him for a fresh decision.

Walus, Hani’s widow Limpho Hani, and the SACP were given a total of 60 days to comment on the parole board’s negative report which served before the minister when he made the 2017 decision.

READ MORE: Hani’s killer again seeks release on parole

In addition, Judge Baqwa granted an order setting aside a December 2016 decision to deport Walus as invalid and illegal as well as the warrant of detention and removal issued to Walus as invalid.

Walus wanted the court to set aside Masutha’s decision to refuse him parole yet again and to order his release, subject to his deportation to Poland.

The minister, SACP, and Mrs Hani opposed Walus’ fresh bid for parole, arguing that the minister’s doubts about the sincerity of Walus’ remorse was reasonable, as he still distanced himself from Hani’s murder by describing himself as a mere foot soldier and denying knowledge of any conspiracy to assassinate Hani.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen.