'Communists should be shot': Polish extremists raise funds to help Janusz Walus

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Johannesburg - The Communist Party of Poland has warned the SACP about an alleged new plot “to kill communists” - a plot allegedly orchestrated in Poland, the birthplace of Chris Hani’s killer, Janusz Walus. SACP senior leaders received an e-mail on Monday alerting them about the plot and included were details of a fund-raising function allegedly organised by a right-wing publishing house in Poland, allegedly to benefit Walus. The funds, about 1500 euros, were allegedly raised from the sale of the books and were apparently to be used for Walus’s upkeep while serving his prison sentence for the murder. Walus and Clive Derby-Lewis were both convicted and sentenced to life for their roles in the murder. In the letter, Partia Komunistyczna wrote: “We are contacting you to inform that Polish right-wing extremists again organised help for Janusz Walus - the racist murderer of Chris Hani. Polish neo-nazi publishing house (name withheld) organised for him fund-raising, transferring to him its incomes from the orders made on December 6th.”

The letter continued: “Although the sum was not very significant, it is another example of the Polish right wing’s solidarity with the murderer. This action was supported by other right-wing extremists.”

According to Komunistyczna, the publishing house was working with a local Polish anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi group.

“This group (anti-Semitic and neo-Nazis) still advocates political violence. During their recent march on December 13 in Wroclaw, they carried a banner saying communists should be shot. Our party strongly opposes any attempt to release the murderer.”

This is not the first time that the SACP has been warned.

The Polish communists in May 2017 spoke of the same group demanding Walus’s release, while Hani’s wife Dimpho was appealing in the Supreme Court of Appeal during the same period against an order of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to release Walus on parole.

Reacting to the letter, SACP spokesperson Dr Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo said the letter from the Communist Party of Poland carried important and valuable information which should be brought to the attention of his party’s lawyers and the Hani family.

The SACP acknowledged that these threats were imminent against its general secretary, Blade Nzimande (also Minister of Higher Education), and the party deputy chairperson and Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Thulas Nxesi.

The letter also emerged as the SACP vowed to petition Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola to deny Walus parole.

Walus’s lawyer, Julian Knight, was not available for comment at the time of going to press.

Political Bureau