Janusz Waluś, the man who shot and killed South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani in 1993, may soon become a member of the Polish parliament.
Waluś has spent years building a political base in Poland since being deported there following his parole in 2023. He has become something of a mascot for Poland's far-right movements, which have embraced him as a figure of ideological significance.
The prospect of Waluś holding elected office has sent shockwaves through South African political and activist circles, where Hani remains a beloved and deeply mourned figure more than three decades after his assassination. For many South Africans, the idea sits like an open wound.
Chris Hani's murder on 10 April 1993 nearly derailed South Africa's transition to democracy. That his killer could now gain a platform and political legitimacy in Europe is a reality that many are struggling to sit with.
Originally published by AllAfrica · info@groundup.org.za (GroundUp).