The South African Communist Party (SACP) has turned down an invitation for a question-and-answer session with the murderers of their secretary general Chris Hani, saying on Wednesday the two should rather hand their information to law enforcement authorities.
Last week Polish immigrant Janusz Walus and former Conservative Party member of Parliament Clive Derby-Lewis, who are hoping to be granted a presidential pardon by Thabo Mbeki for Hani’s slaying in 1993, sent the invitation to the SACP via their lawyers from prison.
”The SACP wishes to categorically state that if Messrs Derby-Lewis and Walus have new information on the circumstances regarding their dastardly act, they should approach the relevant law enforcement agencies and lay that information before these.
”As the SACP we do not have any capacity or legal authority to verify or follow up on any information they might have. This can only be done by law enforcement agencies.”
The SACP rejected ”with contempt” the 145-day ultimatum it was given for a response to the request.
”We do not account to criminals and murderers, but [are] guided by our quest for the whole truth to be exposed regarding the assassination of our general secretary.”
However, they believed that the letter underlined the need for a full judicial enquiry.
”That they talk about the fact that they have some apparently new documentary evidence, underlines our call for a full inquest and goes to show the extent to which they lied to the TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission] and did not disclose all.”
The statement said the SACP would do everything in its power to oppose a pardon being granted to the two men, who are serving life sentences for Hani’s murder.
Lawyers acting for the two men called on Mbeki to make a decision on their application for a presidential pardon, failing which they would take the matter to the High Court.
They unsuccessfully sought amnesty from the TRC in 1999 and applied for a presidential pardon five years ago, on May 2002.
Attorneys De Klerk and Marais, of Pretoria, pointed out to Mbeki in a letter over the weekend that the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development initially alleged that no policy or guidelines existed on how these matters should be dealt with.
”This was extremely surprising in view of the pardon granted to 33 political prisoners,” read the letter.
The lawyers were referring to 33 Eastern Cape political prisoners, mostly African National Congress (ANC) and Pan Africanist Congress operatives, as well as presidential pardon granted to the ANC’s Alan Boesak in 2004.
Calling Mbeki’s delay to decide on Hani’s killers’ application ”unreasonable”, the lawyers said they had been instructed to demand Mbeki to make a decision within 30 days, failing which they would approach the High Court to compel him to do so. – Sapa