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>The SACP notes and welcomes the strong stance taken by the Minister of
>Correctional Services, Cde Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, on the matter
>relating to the parole of Messrs Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walusz.
>These are the two assassins who cut short the life of our General
>Secretary, ANC NEC and NWC member and MK Commander Cde Chris Hani with
>an intention of causing instability in the country.
>
>This assassination is indicative of the strategy of the imperialists
>to destabilise popular left movements and/or leaders in Africa in
>order to entrench their influence post-independence. Popular left
>leaning leaders like Herbert Chitepo of Zimbabwe, Anton Lubowski of
>Namibia and Patrice Lumumba of Congo were all assassinated with the
>help of external imperialist forces who had economic interests in
>those countries. Cde Chris Hani and the SACP, we believe, posed a
>major threat to economic interests of many, thus the well calculated
>assassination.
>
>Often these assassinations are carried out with the help of local
>imperialist puppets, in this case both Messrs Derby-Lewis and Walusz.
>The two, when it suited them, applied for amnesty at the TRC under the
>guise that theirs was not just an ordinary crime, but an act inspired
>by their political beliefs. Today, they have the courage to cry foul
>and accuse the SACP and others of politicising their parole action.
>If the matter was not political what were they doing in the first
>place at the TRC?
>
>Mr Derby-Lewis in particular has ran a consistent media campaign
>characterized by the worst form of deceit in order to get out of jail
>as quickly as possible. In this campaign facts about his health have
>been distorted and relevant circumstances around the assassination
>concealed from the family and the public. A picture has been painted
>in the media which, by its crude colouring, will persuade the ordinary
>citizens that government is unfairly treating him and succumbing to
>the whims of the SACP, that his course is righteous and that the
>indisputable wickedness of the SACP and the Hani family has been
>proven beyond doubt.
>
>The SACP will not succumb to this blackmail and we applaud the
>Minister for seeing it for what it is; a desperate attempt to get out
>of jail without taking full responsibility for ones' actions. The SACP
>will settle for nothing less than full disclosure by the two of the
>full circumstances around the assassination. We are not interested in
>media gimmicks that Mr Derby-Lewis played some years back when he made
>threats to tell it all. So long as that is not forthcoming we wish the
>two a good stay where they belong.
>
>We will continue to mobilise our people to oppose any possible
>granting of parole to the two. Whilst we cannot deny that the
>dastardly assassination did have a negative effect on the
>organisation, it however had a completely opposite impact generally
>about the role of the SACP in our society than that intended. Today,
>in memory of Cde Chris Hani, we have built a dynamic and vibrant SACP
>which continues the battle for socialism, with and for the workers and
>the poor!!
>