READER LETTER | Limpho Hani expects special treatment from courts

During the 30th commemoration of Chris Hani’s assassination, the ANC, its Alliance partners and Limpho Hani (his widow), criticised and blamed the judiciary for releasing Janusz Walus on parole. 

The ruling party’s politicians always have a tendency of criticising the judiciary whenever judgments do not go their way.

As a lawmaker (an MP) in post-apartheid SA, Limpho was responsible for making laws, unless she wants us to believe that she was an MP simply because she’s Chris Hani’s widow.

The judiciary’s role is to punish noncompliance with the laws made by MPs.

The laws of the country must be applied equally to all citizens, irrespective of one’s standing. When the MPs said that anyone sentenced to life sentence may qualify for parole after serving 25 years in jail, who were they expecting to be excluded from this law? 

If Limpho feels the Hani family is a victim of the country’s parole laws, she’s not alone to have such an opinion. Many South Africans, like the late Bontle Mashiane’s family and many other murder victims of repeat offenders, have repeatedly been complaining against the country’s parole system.

Mashiane was a victim of the country’s parole system too. Her murderer was a convicted murderer released on parole without hearing the side of his victim’s family. Had the family been engaged about the parole, they could have denied his early release on parole, and Bontle’s life too could have been saved. 

As for the calls for an inquest by the Alliance partners and Hani’s family, one gets surprised as calls for that inquest are only made after Waluz’s release.

Though not against the calls for an inquest, 30 years after the assassination, it might be found that some role players in the assassination have passed away.

 Phepisi Radipere, GaRamokadi-kadi, Limpopo