SOUTH AFRICA PRETORIA JANUSZ WALUS APPEARS AT TRUTH COMMISSION

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(21 Aug 1997) English/Nat • • The man who murdered the South African Communist Party leader, Chris Hani more than four years ago has spoken about the killing for the first time on Thursday. • • Janusz Walus was appearing at the Truth Commission in Pretoria. • • Walus shot Hani outside his house in 1993 - hoping to be freed from prison under South Africa's amnesty laws. • • He and his co-conspirator, former Conservative party politician, Clive Derby-Lewis, are currently serving life sentences for the murder. • • During the original trial over the death of Communist party politician Chris Hani - his murderer Janusz Walus never testified. • • On Thursday - Walus described the killing for the first time to a panel of amnesty judges. • • He is hoping, under South Africa's Amnesty Laws, to be cleared of his life sentence. • • Hani's widow, Limpho has attended every day of the nine-day hearing. • • The case has also been closely followed by Communist Party supporters who strongly oppose the idea of amnesty for the murderers. • • In his application, Walus, a Polish immigrant, said it was his experiences under communist rule in Poland which had prompted him to agree to assassinating Hani. • • Walus spoke of bewilderment after the Conservative Party lost the 1989 elections and accused the National Party leader, F-W de Klerk of political dishonesty for turning away from apartheid policies. • • Hani's widow, Limpho was joined in court with her daughter who was with her father when he was shot. • • They sat and listened to a simultaneous translation of Walus' graphic description of the murder. • • SOUNDBITE: (English translation) • I took out the pistol from the belt, from behind the belt, and I shot first time in the body of Mr Hani. After that Mr Hani turned. I shot a second shot in his head. When he fell on the ground I shot two times behind his ears...ear . • SUPER CAPTION: Jalus Walus, murderer of Chris Hani • • Earlier in the day Walus testified that Hani's name had been selected from a list of nine people including Nelson Mandela. • • The list, which Walus' co-conspirator, Clive Derby--Lewis testified was purely for journalistic purposes, also included former Bosnian War Crimes Tribunal Judge Richard Goldstone and the former South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha. • • The list had been drawn up by Derby-Lewis' wife Gaye Derby-Lewis, an ex-Australian nun who was a co-accused in the murder trial but later acquitted. • • She cannot be tried twice for the same crime. • • The proceedings could not be completed in the time allocated for the trial - Walus and Derby-Lewis will therefore reappear on November 24, 1997. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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