Janusz Waluś: Polish MP Candidacy Emerges After SA Release

• Janusz Waluś, the assassin of Chris Hani, was released from South African prison in December 2022 after 29 years, following an order from the South Africa Constitutional Court.
• After two years on parole, Waluś has returned to Poland and is seen as a mascot for the far-right, reportedly having a political base there.
• His daughter, Ewa Waluś, initially believed he deserved his sentence but later campaigned for his release, despite her own liberal political views.
• Ewa Waluś recently visited her father and found his views unchanged, fearing he had "further radicalised" and was planning to enter far-right politics in Poland.
• She warned him that pursuing far-right politics would cost him his relationship with her and his granddaughter.

Janusz Waluś, known as the Chris Hani killer, was released from South African custody in December 2022, concluding a 29-year imprisonment. This release followed an order from the South Africa Constitutional Court, which paved the way for his eventual freedom after numerous failed parole attempts since 2005.

Following his release, Waluś spent two years on parole. He has since emerged as a figure embraced by the far-right in Poland, where he reportedly commands a significant political following. His potential Janusz Waluś Polish MP candidacy has become a topic of discussion.

His return to Poland was meticulously arranged by his daughter, Ewa Waluś, who coordinated security, flights, and collaborated closely with consular officials. The final stages of his repatriation, however, encountered an unspecified complication involving a political assistant, as the arrangements were suddenly interrupted.

Ewa Waluś's life has been inextricably linked to her father's notorious act. Born in 1978, she was a mere three years old when Janusz Waluś relocated to South Africa in 1981 to join a family business. Plans for Ewa and her mother to follow him were abruptly halted by the imposition of martial law in Poland just two months later.

She met her father in South Africa in 1983 and 1987, and again in Poland in 1992. The news of Chris Hani's assassination on Easter Saturday, April 10, 1993, by a Polish immigrant named Janusz Waluś, reached Ewa and her mother via television. At 14, Ewa initially struggled to accept the truth, but ultimately felt her father "had got what he deserved," though she harbored a "paralysing fear" at the prospect of his death sentence, which was later commuted to life imprisonment after capital punishment was abolished.

For three decades, Ewa maintained distance, never visiting her father in prison. She pursued a career path that included law studies, journalism, public relations, and museum education. She learned English specifically to facilitate correspondence with him, as it was a requirement for prisoner communication until the 1990s. Despite her own liberal political leanings, which often saw her protesting against right-wing governments, she became a vocal advocate for his release. She wrote to Poland's president, engaged members of parliament, spoke to the media, and raised funds for his legal representation, even accepting assistance from nationalist activists. Her conviction was rooted in the belief that "everyone should be equal before the law" and that her father, compared to other convicted murderers, no longer posed a danger and deserved a second chance.

A poignant aspect of this narrative involves Lindiwe Hani, one of Chris Hani's three daughters, who began visiting Waluś in prison in 2016 as a means of confronting the profound trauma of her father's murder. Ewa and Lindiwe subsequently engaged in several conversations, with Lindiwe offering the profound observation that they both "lost our fathers on the same day." In April 2024, Ewa traveled to South Africa for a month, where she engaged in serious discussions with her 71-year-old father about the murder for the first time. This encounter led her to a troubling realization: his views remained unchanged, and she began to fear he "might have further radicalised."

During Ewa's month-long visit to South Africa in April 2024, Janusz Waluś, the Chris Hani killer, revealed his post-release intentions: a plan to enter far-right politics in Poland. This declaration immediately sparked a profound disagreement with his daughter, who had just spent years campaigning for his freedom.

Ewa Waluś issued a stark warning to her father, making it clear that if he pursued a path in far-right politics, he would alienate both her and his granddaughter. This ultimatum highlights the deep ideological chasm that persists within the family, despite Ewa's unwavering efforts to secure his Janusz Waluś release from South African custody.

The prospect of Waluś, a figure notorious for a politically charged assassination, seeking a Janusz Waluś Polish MP candidacy, underscores the ongoing controversy surrounding his public rehabilitation and his perceived radicalization. His re-entry into public life, particularly within the context of Waluś far-right politics Poland, presents a complex challenge for both his family and the broader political landscape.

This article is primarily a human-interest and political story about Janusz Waluś's post-release life and potential political career in Poland. While it references his past conviction and release ordered by the South African Constitutional Court, it does not present any new, direct, or actionable legal implications for South African lawyers or compliance officers in terms of new precedents, compliance obligations, or specific legal advice required.

Source: Original reporting via AllAfrica SA