An unrepentant Janusz Walus said the motive behind Chris Hani's murder was to stop negotiations to bring an end to apartheid, and trigger a reaction from security forces in South Africa at the time
"It was necessary. It had to be done. And it's dismissed from my mind," Walus said.
Hani was shot four times, outside his home on April 10, 1993. Hani was 50-years-old.
Speaking to eNCA's Annika Larsen, Walus said the plan to kill Hani was the brainchild of Clive Derby-Lewis, founding member of the Conservative Party. Derby-Lewis supplied the gun while Walus pulled the trigger. Both men were arrested and found guilty for Hani's murder. Derby-Lewis has since died.
Walus said if he had to do it again, he would.
Hit list
Seventy-two-year-old Walus said if the plan to kill Hani fell apart, the next person to be killed would have been Joe Slovo.
Investigations uncovered a hit list of those who were to be killed. The names on the list were; Nelson Mandela, Joe Slovo, Chris Hani, Mac Maharaj, Karen Brynard, Pik Botha, Richard Goldstone, Ken Owen and Tim du Plessis.
Motive
Walus said they hoped that Hani's death would spark reaction from the right-wing's security forces and derail talks for a democratic South Africa.
Walus, dubbed the "Ice Man" because of his steel blue eyes" described how he walked up to Hani on the fateful day and shot him.
"He was one of the most dangerous people. He was not only the general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP), he was also chief of staff of Umkhonto weSizwe," he said.
Regret
Walus said while he regretted killing Hani because he took the life of a father and husband, when it came to politics, he did not regret his actions.
He said when he met with Hani's daughter, Lindiwe Hani, and only has good words for her.
He said she was the first person who did not lash out at him or accuse him of lying.
"She was ready to listen and I told her everything I know," he said.
He added that he knew that Jacob Zuma visited Derby-Lewis in jail.
"I don't know what he wanted. It looked like he was going to help us somehow but I didn't know why. Finally, nothing came out of it," he said.
Walus denied having any formal military training however said his job was to spy on those who had connections with the African National Congress (ANC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and eastern countries.
During the interview, Walus said he had nothing against (people with) black skin but he had something against black majority rule.
"I knew that when it came to black majority government, it would be the end of (a) properly working country, the end of peace, end of security because what we have now, you can't call it peace," he said.
Walus said the country is in the worst kind of mess.
Walus said it has been proven that white people can run the country, and black people generally cannot do that.
"They don't have capacity. And you hear it more and more from black people themselves," he said.
Walus said this did not mean that black people should be oppressed.
Why the interview?
Walus said he granted the interview because for the first time, he was able to speak without restrictions.
"I can say my part about alleged conspiracy. I am interested in clearing the issue. You know people are always looking for a bigger story than the story. When you take the political implications, people in the ruling party try to pin the story on each other," he said.
Walus held firm that he had never lied about Hani's death.
"I haven't had any reason to lie," he said.
Walus said while home was Poland, home was also South Africa.
"I miss the weather, the way of life and people's mentality. It's different," he said.
Walus spent close to 30 years in prison in South Africa before he was granted parole in 2022 and deported back to Poland last year. His trip back home was paid for by the Polish government.
IOL