President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the Constitutional Court’s ruling this week ordering the release of Chris Hani’s killer on parole as ‘very disappointing’ and unfortunate, reports The Citizen.

Ramaphosa said he can only imagine the ‘heavy pain and the burden’ that the Hani family is going through, following the apex court’s unanimous judgment on Monday for Janusz Walus to be freed from jail after almost 30 years behind bars.

'Our democracy in the end… was pivoted on the tragedy that our country went through when Chris Hani was killed,’ Ramaphosa said.

The President made the remarks in London, during a media briefing as he wrapped up his two-day state visit to the UK.

Ramaphosa said the anti-apartheid icon’s murder was ‘part of what spawned the democracy’ South Africans enjoy today.

‘I haven’t looked at the judgment closely myself, (and) I would like to do so and see the reasoning,’ he said. 

Full report in The Citizen

The SACP and its alliance partners in the Western Cape yesterday vowed that Walus would never get parole.

'This has opened old wounds', said ANC spokesperson Unathi Tshotshwana. 'We are going to make sure on the day that Walus is released, they will take him back inside.'

News24 reports that Monde Nqulwana, the SACP's district secretary, said 'we are prepared to roll out mass action in defence of Chris Hani.

'We are not going to be responsible for any actions that South Africans will take on the day Janusz Walus is released from prison,' he said.

Walus became eligible for parole in 2005, 12 years and four months into his life sentence for the 1993 murder.

Full News24 report