56 arrested after ministers held hostage by ‘military veterans’

Defence Minister Thandi Modise and two other senior government members spent over two hours in a reported hostage situation when a meeting between them and the military veterans reached a deadlock at a Tshwane hotel on Thursday evening. The meeting was apparently held to discuss disgruntlement among former members of liberation forces.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said at least 56 people – including seven women – were arrested and likely to face at least three counts of kidnapping after the alleged hostage drama that occurred at St George’s Hotel in Centurion.

He said around 19:15 on Thursday evening, police received a report of a possible hostage situation in which Modise her deputy Thabang Makwetla, and Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele were allegedly taken hostage.

“After attempts to negotiate with the hostage-takers to release the hostages had failed, police resorted to a tactical approach and successfully rescued the hostages. There were no shots fired during the rescue.”

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Speaking to the Rekord, Naidoo said he could not comment on whether those arrested were armed during the reported hostage situation. “That will form a very big part of our investigation, and we cannot at this point divulge on such matters.”

Naidoo said while processing the suspects, three of them were taken for medical checks after they complained of pains.

Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, giving an account of the incident, said they were taken into hostage after a meeting between them, and military veterans reached a deadlock. “We found ourselves in a situation which I regard untenable and legally unacceptable where we thought we were in a meeting whose intention was to attend to the issues that affect the military veterans.

“We could not agree on how the meeting should take place. We reached a point when I thought we were agreeing that it should adjourn, as we were leaving the meeting they closed the doors. It is at that point when we realised that we were being held hostage.”

Gungubele said the matter was now in the hands of the police.

The department of military veterans could not be reached for comment by the time print.

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