Chris Hani's Assassins to Take President Mbeki to Court Demanding Pardon

Chris Hani, Former Secretary-General of the South African Communist Party
Originally uploaded by panafnewswire

PRETORIA 16 October 2007 Sapa

HANI'S KILLERS TO TAKE MBEKI TO COURT FOR PARDON

Lawyers acting for Chris Hani's killers said they would proceed with
an application to the high court asking it to compel President Thabo
Mbeki to make a decision on their application for a presidential
pardon.

Janusz Walus and Clive Derby-Lewis unsuccessfully sought amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1999 for the 1993 assassination of the then head of the SA Communist party, and applied for presidential pardon five years ago, on May 2002.

Earlier this year they asked Mbeki to make a decision on their
application failing which they would take the matter to the high court,
a step they would now take.

"They insist that it's grossly unreasonable that a decision has not
yet been made in their applications for pardons," a statement released by the two's attorneys De Klerk and Marais Inc, of Pretoria, said.

"They maintain that the failure by the Minister of Justice and
Constitutional Development, (Brigitte) Mabandla, to submit
recommendations to the President about their applications, does not
justify the failure of the president to make a decision, seeing that he
has control over the performance of cabinet ministers," the statement
said.

Mbeki's spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said his office was not aware of any court action, and would not comment further on the case.