On April 10 1993, Polish-born assassin Janusz 'Koba' Walus gunned down SA Communist Party general secretary Chris Hani in the driveway of his Dawn Park, Boksburg, home, sending the country on a rough, rollercoaster ride.
The tumultuous aftermath - from the time of his killing to the massive funeral on April 19 - rocked the country to its foundations and threatened the fragile negotiation process. Herewith is the 10 -day timeline of events that followed Hani's assassination:
DAY ONE: Chris Thembisile Martin Hani shot in cold blood at his home on April 10, 1993 at 10.30am.
DAY TWO: About 20000 ANC supporters converge on the Boksburg suburb of Dawn Park to pay their last respects. lOne man killed in Soweto's Chicken Farm squatter camp. Residents say police fired on commemoration rally for Hani.l Two whites are burnt to death and the third badly injured when his tongue is cut out by an angry mob in Lwandle township, near Cape Town.
DAY THREE: Security force reinforcements are deployed in Reef townships after rampaging youths set alight cars and buses.l Plans for mass stay-aways and protest marches around the country take shape as messages of concern continued to pour in.l The death toll sparked by Hani's slaying rises to four and sporadic incidents of violence and looting erupt countrywide.
DAY FOUR: Hundreds of people march on the Boksburg magistrate's court, where assassin Janusz "Koba" Walus is appearing in connection with Hani's death. He is remanded in custody until May 14.l Police seize firearms from two whites who approach ANC supporters who had come to attend the trial outside the court.l The leader of the World Apartheid Movement expresses his support for Walus and offers to pay for the AWB man's defence.l ANC president Nelson Mandela's "appeal to the nation" for calm is screened on SABC news bulletins.l Business and employer organisations warn of serious consequences if workers stay-away from work.
DAY FIVE: Thousands of workers throughout the country heed the call for a stay-away and services to commemorate Hani's death are held.l At least 17 people are killed and more than 500 injured in a day marked by chaos as thousands of people observe the stay-away call.l In Soweto four people are killed and more than 250 injured. The dead include the general secretary of the Soweto region of the ANC, Sam Tambane.
DAY SIX: The aftermath. Mopping up begins after the previous day's stay-away, memorial rallies and violence in which 17 people died.l Government officials say police acted with restraint when they opened fire on demonstrators at Protea police station in Soweto after the memorial rally held at the Jabulani Amphitheatre.
DAY SEVEN: Tension runs high as the ANC announces a campaign of mass action and government threatens to put a security clamp on parts of the Reef.l Adding to the tension are members of the AWB who provocatively place their organisation's flags opposite the cemetery where Hani is to be buried that day.l The ANC, SACP and Cosatu announce the launch of a programme of mass action to pressurise democracy negotiations to announce an election date by the end of May.l The PAC says it has names and addresses of people who intend to assassinate the leader of the liberation movement and warns of reprisals.
DAY EIGHT: More than 250000 people march in Johannesburg, Vanderbiljpark and Pretoria. Two people taking part in the Vanderbiljpark march are killed by a rightwinger. The arrested man is later identified as Mike Odendaal, 52, a self-employed builder who worked for the Conservative Party and reportedly seen in AWB circles. Funeral plans for Hani are finalised.
DAY NINE: Vigils begin throughout the country as thousands converge on the FNB Stadium, near Soweto, where Hani's body lies in state.
Mandela and foreign dignitaries are in attendance.
DAY TEN: Thousands attend Hani's funeral service at FNB Stadium and are addressed by Mandela. At noon, the cortege proceeds to Elspark Cemetery in Boksburg, where Hani is laid to rest.
Six months later Walus and former Conservative Party MP Clive Derby-Lewis were convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and were sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment in 1995.
Walus had used a pistol lent to him by Derby-Lewis to kill Hani.
Derby-Lewis last year applied for parole after spending 17 years behind bars.
10 days that shook our country
On April 10 1993, Polish-born assassin Janusz 'Koba' Walus gunned down SA Communist Party general secretary Chris Hani in the driveway of his Dawn Park, Boksburg, home, sending the country on a rough, rollercoaster ride.
The tumultuous aftermath - from the time of his killing to the massive funeral on April 19 - rocked the country to its foundations and threatened the fragile negotiation process. Herewith is the 10 -day timeline of events that followed Hani's assassination:
DAY ONE: Chris Thembisile Martin Hani shot in cold blood at his home on April 10, 1993 at 10.30am.
DAY TWO: About 20000 ANC supporters converge on the Boksburg suburb of Dawn Park to pay their last respects. lOne man killed in Soweto's Chicken Farm squatter camp. Residents say police fired on commemoration rally for Hani.l Two whites are burnt to death and the third badly injured when his tongue is cut out by an angry mob in Lwandle township, near Cape Town.
DAY THREE: Security force reinforcements are deployed in Reef townships after rampaging youths set alight cars and buses.l Plans for mass stay-aways and protest marches around the country take shape as messages of concern continued to pour in.l The death toll sparked by Hani's slaying rises to four and sporadic incidents of violence and looting erupt countrywide.
DAY FOUR: Hundreds of people march on the Boksburg magistrate's court, where assassin Janusz "Koba" Walus is appearing in connection with Hani's death. He is remanded in custody until May 14.l Police seize firearms from two whites who approach ANC supporters who had come to attend the trial outside the court.l The leader of the World Apartheid Movement expresses his support for Walus and offers to pay for the AWB man's defence.l ANC president Nelson Mandela's "appeal to the nation" for calm is screened on SABC news bulletins.l Business and employer organisations warn of serious consequences if workers stay-away from work.
DAY FIVE: Thousands of workers throughout the country heed the call for a stay-away and services to commemorate Hani's death are held.l At least 17 people are killed and more than 500 injured in a day marked by chaos as thousands of people observe the stay-away call.l In Soweto four people are killed and more than 250 injured. The dead include the general secretary of the Soweto region of the ANC, Sam Tambane.
DAY SIX: The aftermath. Mopping up begins after the previous day's stay-away, memorial rallies and violence in which 17 people died.l Government officials say police acted with restraint when they opened fire on demonstrators at Protea police station in Soweto after the memorial rally held at the Jabulani Amphitheatre.
DAY SEVEN: Tension runs high as the ANC announces a campaign of mass action and government threatens to put a security clamp on parts of the Reef.l Adding to the tension are members of the AWB who provocatively place their organisation's flags opposite the cemetery where Hani is to be buried that day.l The ANC, SACP and Cosatu announce the launch of a programme of mass action to pressurise democracy negotiations to announce an election date by the end of May.l The PAC says it has names and addresses of people who intend to assassinate the leader of the liberation movement and warns of reprisals.
DAY EIGHT: More than 250000 people march in Johannesburg, Vanderbiljpark and Pretoria. Two people taking part in the Vanderbiljpark march are killed by a rightwinger. The arrested man is later identified as Mike Odendaal, 52, a self-employed builder who worked for the Conservative Party and reportedly seen in AWB circles. Funeral plans for Hani are finalised.
DAY NINE: Vigils begin throughout the country as thousands converge on the FNB Stadium, near Soweto, where Hani's body lies in state.
Mandela and foreign dignitaries are in attendance.
DAY TEN: Thousands attend Hani's funeral service at FNB Stadium and are addressed by Mandela. At noon, the cortege proceeds to Elspark Cemetery in Boksburg, where Hani is laid to rest.
Six months later Walus and former Conservative Party MP Clive Derby-Lewis were convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and were sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment in 1995.
Walus had used a pistol lent to him by Derby-Lewis to kill Hani.
Derby-Lewis last year applied for parole after spending 17 years behind bars.
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