SACP Gauteng Province`s Memorandum of demands delivered to the Department of Correctional Services (DCS)

5 April 2014, Kgoshi Mampuru Correctional Centre, Tshwane

Attention: Head of Correctional Centre

Background and Context

On the 27th April 2014 our country will celebrate 20 years of non-racial, non-sexist democratic rule based on the will of the overwhelming majority of the African and Black people after the first democratic elections in 1994.
The setting of the date for the first democratic elections in our country followed the brutal and cold blooded murder of comrade Martin Thembisile Chris Hani on the 10th of April 1993 at his home in Boksburg, Dawn Park.

Comrade Chris Hani, was a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC), Chief of Staff of Umkhonto We Sizwe. He was one of the most popular, dynamic, revolutionary and highly gifted Marxist-Leninist scholars. He was deeply loved by the working class, poor and people of this country and the world.

Comrade Chris Hani was shot in broad daylight by Janusz Walus, acting on instructions of Clive Derby-Lewis and his wife, Ms Gabrielle Derby-Lewis, who was acquitted on all charges. The two men were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Thus far these cruel and barbaric murderers have served merely 20 years of their life imprisonment in jail.

As you will surely understand, we remain deeply hurt by the heinous and cruel manner in which our most beloved General Secretary was killed at a very young age. His murderers killed him because he was a communist, a popular leader with a great potential to succeed Nelson Mandela to lead the ANC and certainly the country as Head of State. This we say not based on speculation, but on his principled position and popularity in the ANC, SACP, COSATU and SANCO.

Parole of the Murderers

We are aware that in the recent past his murderers tried every trick in the book to apply for parole, and that to date that has not been successful. We are also aware that they failed to secure amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

They have also approached the courts to avoid serving their well-deserved life sentences. We are deeply pleased that the democratic government and all its organs thus far maintained a consistent line and denied this cold-blooded murderers an opportunity to avoid serving to the fullest their well-deserved life sentences.

It is in this context that we therefore submit the following demands for serious consideration by DCS:

1. That these murderers serve their full life sentences as determined by the courts.
2. That the murderers are denied parole or any other opportunity to avoid serving full life imprisonment.
3. That the family of comrade Chris Hani and the SACP should be sufficiently consulted before any consideration is made for granting of parole.  Members of the SACP have a direct and well established interest beyond doubt considering that comrade Chris Hani held the highest position in the SACP, and therefore this interest may not be over-looked by parole committee(s). 
4. That the murderers disclose in full and that the truth is established beyond doubt about the real facts and circumstances of the death of comrade Chris Hani. This include disclosing facts such as,

   3.1 On whose instructions did they kill comrade Chris Hani?
   3.2 Why did they use a gun fitted with a silencer to kill comrade Chris Hani?
   3.3 What was the purpose and motive of the "hit list" that included comrades Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo and Mac Maharaj?

5. That when considering parole application by this murderers, DCS must always take into account the fact that the whole plan to kill comrade Chris Hani, the existence of the hit list, the gun fitted with a silencer prove the fact that this was a clearly well calculated bigger scheme, plot and conspiracy to commit the crimes, and therefore the whole truth and nothing but absolute truth should be disclosed. 

In conclusion, we believe that the demands in this memorandum are critical for national building, reconciliation and healing divisions and severe pain of the past as we celebrate 20 years of democracy and the next round of democratic elections.

We are confident that your positive response to these demands will move our country, province and people forward guided by the most capable and popular leadership of the ANC collective led by President Jacob Zuma, and that of the Alliance. 

We hope to hear from you preferably before 07th May 2014.

Delivered on behalf of the SACP Gauteng Province by

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Received on behalf of DCS by

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