His assassination permanently deprived his wife, Comrade Limpho, of a husband, and their children of a father. It robbed his entire family of a brother and an uncle, and the community and nation of a leader.
Despite this, the Constitutional Court accepted and went further to impose a non-existent remorse from the assassin on Hani’s family. Waluś confirmed his lack of remorse in an interview after his release at the end of 2024, following the November 2022 Constitutional Court judgment ordering his parole within ten days. The judgment remains a source of deep disappointment and has exposed the Constitutional Court’s standard of evidence to legitimate criticism.
We applied to the Constitutional Court for the rescission of the judgment, but our application was dismissed. The facts, particularly the truth we have consistently stated, are now evident for all to see. This matter cannot be left unattended, forgotten, or abandoned. It is a fundamental challenge to our democratic dispensation. It demands an answer: What is to be done?
The SACP and the family of the late Chris Hani, represented by Comrade Limpho Hani, have formally requested the urgent institution of an inquest into his assassination. While two individuals, Janusz Waluś and his co-assassin, Clive Derby-Lewis, were convicted for their direct roles, numerous critical questions remain unanswered about the full extent of the plot behind this heinous crime. Evidence suggests that Waluś and Derby-Lewis did not act alone.
It is imperative that all those involved in the planning and execution of the assassination – including those who orchestrated, facilitated, or enabled it, or were aware of it but failed to report it – be identified and held accountable. We firmly believe there is overwhelming justification for an inquest, particularly in light of the following outstanding matters.
The murder weapon
The firearm used in the assassination was obtained from a military armoury. To date, no disclosure has been made regarding who took the murder weapon from the military armoury, nor have those responsible been held accountable.
The silencer
The murder weapon was tested with a silencer through what Waluś described as “backyard engineering”. However, those responsible for manufacturing, sourcing, fitting and testing the silencer remain unidentified and unaccountable. Waluś cannot claim “backyard engineering” without knowledge of those involved. This underscores his lack of remorse, as a truly remorseful individual would fully co-operate in disclosing the truth to the full extent.
The assassination hit list
Evidence shows that Chris Hani was the third target on an assassination hit list. The identities of those who compiled and authorised the list, as well as those who provided security details of the targets’ homes, remain undisclosed and have not faced legal consequences.
It was Derby-Lewis who co-ordinated the acquisition of the murder weapon after it was taken from the military armoury. Through his wife, Gaye, he also obtained the hit list, which included the home addresses of Hani, Comrades Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo and other comrades. Gaye’s role must be re-examined in its entirety as part of the inquest.
The handling of the crime scene
There are serious concerns about how the apartheid police handled the assassination crime scene, including the neglect of crucial evidence that could have led to further investigations and the identification of additional conspirators.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission rightfully denied Waluś and Derby-Lewis amnesty on the grounds that they failed to make full disclosure of the truth about the assassination. This alone underscores the need for a thorough and transparent judicial inquiry.
Our repeated calls for an inquest
Despite repeated demands by the Hani family and the SACP for an inquest over the years, the state has taken no substantive action to ensure all those involved in this assassination are brought to justice. This matter has remained unresolved for decades.
The assassination of Comrade Chris Hani was not merely an attack on an individual but an attack on our struggle for liberation and democracy. It was an attack on the ideals Hani dedicated his life to achieve. The pursuit of truth and justice in Hani’s assassination case is not only about accountability but is also essential for national healing and closure for Hani’s family, comrades and the broader South African society, of which the working class is the majority.
We therefore reiterate our call for the relevant state institutions to institute a formal judicial inquest as a matter of urgency. A thorough and transparent inquiry will uncover the full extent of the assassination plot and ensure all those responsible are held accountable.
The multiple indications that additional individuals were involved in orchestrating Hani’s assassination cannot be ignored. The conviction of Waluś and Derby-Lewis alone does not equate to full justice being served, given the scale and implications of this crime.
Advance and intensify the struggle for a socialist transition across all key fronts of class contestation
In memory of Chris Hani, the working class must unite and move beyond being a class in itself to act as a class for itself, to advance its own interests. The exploitative capitalist system – responsible for the entrenched crisis of mass unemployment, poverty and inequality in our country – is the principal enemy confronting the working class. To secure a decisive breakthrough, the working class must forge the widest possible unity in struggle, not only to confront the effects of the crisis but to uproot its systemic cause.
Only by achieving policy change can we begin to address the crisis-high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality. This requires confronting the interrelated crisis of working-class representation that has emerged in our country. It is within this context, and the imperative to advance and intensify the struggle for a socialist transition across all key fronts of class contestation, that the SACP resolved to contest the 2026 local government elections. The SACP is forging ahead with this decision.
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