In his first interview since being deported to Poland, Janusz Walus, the convicted assassin of South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani, shared his controversial and inflammatory views on race and his role in one of South Africa’s most politically charged murders.
Janusz Walus shares disturbing beliefs about black people
The interview, conducted by investigative journalist Annika Larsen and set to air on Sunday, has sparked outrage.
Walus, now 71, expressed unapologetic white supremacist views and admitted to manipulating the legal system to secure his release.
In the interview, Walus said he believes that black people are “not equipped to rule a country” and described white people as the “superior race.”
While he conceded that black people should have the right to vote, he argued that this should only apply in their “homelands,” echoing apartheid-era policies.
When pressed about his lack of remorse for assassinating Hani in 1993, Walus appeared cold and unapologetic. “I will not beat around the bush,” he stated, justifying his views by referencing historical examples he claimed supported white superiority.
Walus was deported to Poland in December 2024, following a two-year parole period in South Africa. His release in December 2022 had been a controversial decision by the Constitutional Court, overturning former Justice Minister Ronald Lamola’s refusal to grant parole in 2020.
The deportation fulfilled a condition of Walus’ parole, which required him to leave South Africa upon completing his sentence. The Department of Correctional Services confirmed that Walus adhered to strict parole conditions during his time in South Africa.
Walus spent 30 years in prison for the assassination of Chris Hani, who was shot outside his Boksburg home on 10 April 1993. Acting on instructions from Clive Derby-Lewis, Walus’ act nearly derailed South Africa’s transition to democracy.
Walus was born in Zakopane, Poland, under Communist rule. He emigrated to South Africa in 1981, joining his family who had established a glass factory.
After the business failed, Walus worked as a truck driver and became deeply involved in far-right politics, joining the National Party and the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, groups that supported apartheid.
His political ideologies ultimately led him to collaborate with Clive Derby-Lewis, culminating in Hani’s assassination. While Walus and Derby-Lewis were initially sentenced to death, their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment after South Africa abolished the death penalty.
The interview is scheduled on eNCA at 17:00 on Sunday, 26 January 2025.
Watch a snippet of the interview below: