South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani's killer, Polish immigrant Janusz Walus, must be deported, the African National Congress (ANC) said on Thursday.

Walus was granted parole by the High Court in Pretoria earlier on Thursday.

"Walus' imminent release is a travesty of justice and a tragedy for the Hani family and all South Africans who believe in human rights and who held a firm belief in our right to fight for freedom," spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.

It wanted him deported to Poland immediately.

Kodwa said the court's decision to release Walus a month before the 23rd anniversary of Hani's assassination was insensitive. It disregarded the impact his murder had on the ANC, SACP, and the country as a whole.

Hani was shot and killed outside his home in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on 10 April 1993.

The SACP said was appalled at the court's decision. It felt the court was violating the principle of the separation of powers by encroaching on the executive’s sphere of authority.

"The SACP and the family of the late comrade Chris Hani are not prepared to leave the matter unchallenged."

It would study the judgment before deciding on the next step.

In May last year, former Communist Party MP Clive Derby-Lewis, who provided the gun Walus used to kill Hani, was granted medical parole.
After an extensive court battle, Judge Selby Baqwa ruled that Derby-Lewis's medical parole was immediately effective, saying he had shown remorse.

The 79-year-old has spent over 21 years behind bars and was dying of lung cancer. In January last year, he was given just six more months to live. Derby-Lewis is still alive today.

The Economic Freedom Fighters on Thursday expressed sadness at the court's decision.

"The system that Walus killed Chris Hani to protect, the system of the protection and advancement of white privilege at the expense of the black people, remains intact," spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a statement.

News24.com