SOUTH African police said Friday they have arrested 56 people who will likely face charges of kidnapping after two government Cabinet ministers and a deputy minister were held hostage for three hours when a meeting with military veterans of the fight against apartheid ended in disagreement.
Police were called to a hotel in the Centurion area near the capital Pretoria on Thursday night to rescue Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise, her deputy minister Thabang Makwetla, and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, who had been meeting with veterans of various groups that were part of the armed struggle which started in the 1960s against the apartheid regime in South Africa.
The meeting broke down quickly and the three government officials were prevented from leaving the room by some of the veterans, Gungubele said.
Police tried to negotiate with the hostage-takers and when that failed they “resorted to a tactical approach and successfully rescued the hostages,” the South African Police Services said. Police said no shots were fired in the operation, denying allegations by some veterans that they were shot at.
Three of the people who were arrested were sent for medical checkups, police said.
Of the 56 arrested, seven were women.
Gungubele said the meeting was an attempt to address the grievances of the veterans’ groups, who want, among other things, cash payouts and housing and medical benefits for their service during the fight for democracy in South Africa more than 25 years ago.
The veterans’ latest demand is that they should each be paid the equivalent of $270,000 and receive other benefits. The meeting was called off almost as soon as it started, Gungubele said.
“As we were leaving the meeting, proceeding to the doors, they (the veterans) closed the doors,” he said.
“It is at that point when we realized that we’re held hostage. It’s a situation that was averted by the security forces, very effectively and successfully.”
In a statement, the South African government conceded its discussions with the veterans’ groups had been “difficult” but “there was no reason for this group to act in an unlawful manner.”
Gungubele was leading a media briefing of the Presidential Task Team (PTT) on Military Veterans to update the public on government interventions and the comprehensive approach to address the challenges faced by military veterans.
Gungubele said as part of the PTT, Deputy President David Mabuza has been holding extensive discussions with military veterans and their associations in a bid to resolve the challenges.
“The engagement between government and the military associations has thus far been productive and cordial, even though discussions have been difficult. Therefore, in our view, there was no reason for this group to act in an unlawful manner as it transpired last night.
“The work of the PTT has proceeded well and has delivered on its commitment to continuous engagements with military veterans in a bid to resolve issues raised. We are able to confirm that our understanding is that all the parties were appreciative of the work that has been done to date,” Gungubele said.
According to Gungubele, some of government’s interventions for military veterans to date include:
- A draft bill to amend the Military Veterans Act to deal with some of the discrepancies in the act such as the definition of a military veteran; provisions of healthcare benefits to the dependents of military veterans, and means tests criteria.
- The review of the Special Pension Act.
- The development of the Pension Policy.
- Work around the Presidential pardons and expungement of criminal records for some of the members.
- Social relief of distress and the housing for their members.
- Involvement of some of the members in socio-economic activities.
- Repatriation of the remains of military members and the erection of the monuments in the host countries and memorialisation of fallen heroes.
- Support on education of the children of the combatants.
- Provision of land for farming and human settlement.
Other interventions still being undertaken include more socio-economic support, a verification of the military veterans’ database and matters related to heritage.
Modise said government is still open to “hear every military vet” and engage their grievances.
She dismissed any suggestions that their lives felt threatened during the hostage ordeal.
“We are willing to go to any length to hear concerns of any citizen. I am prepared to have a meeting with any military veterans…including this grouping. We should be proud as South Africans that we can sit amongst our veterans…We did not feel in any danger,” she said.
However, Modise strongly condemned the incident and said she was “uncomfortable” with being held against her will.
“We were unhappy about being refused to leave when the meeting clearly had aborted. We do not think that any citizen, whether they had volunteered to fight for the liberation of this country, has any right to interfere with any individual.
“Every citizen, every South African, has the right to sit, to walk where they want and therefore, no legitimate demand of any citizen gives that citizen the right to deprive other citizens,” she said.
Modise said she will instruct her department to open an investigation into where resources meant for the benefit of military veterans have ended up.
“I am upfront with saying that with the amounts of resources poured into the Department of Military Veterans, our military veterans should be better off than where they are now.”
- Compiled by Inside Politics and news agencies
