JOHANNESBURG (AP) – A man convicted for the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani, a leading opponent of the white minority rule in South Africa at the time, was granted parole on Friday.
Clive Derby-Lewis, who has cancer, was granted medical parole by Judge Selby Baqwa in a court in the South African capital, Pretoria, the justice ministry said.
Derby-Lewis, now 79, has applied for parole several times in recent years. In January this year, Justice Minister Michael Masutha rejected Derby-Lewis’ application, saying he did not show any remorse.
This time, the judge ruled in favor of parole instead of deferring the decision to the ministry because “time is of the essence,” said Mthunzi Mhaga, a justice ministry spokesman.
Derby-Lewis could be released by next week, Mhaga said.