Ministers freed after ‘kidnap’ by army veterans

SOUTH AFRICAN special forces broke into a hotel room on Thursday night to rescue the defence minister and two other politicians who had been held hostage for three hours by veterans of the struggle against apartheid.

The dramatic raid on a hotel in Pretoria happened after hostage negotiators had failed to secure the release of the politicians, who had been meeting the veterans to discuss their demand that their service in overturning apartheid be recognised with compensation of £200,000.

The meeting was going badly when the ministers tried to leave, but the veterans barricaded the doors. Following three hours of hostage negotiation, soldiers rescued Thandi Modise and her deputy, Thabang Makwetla, and a minister in the presidency, Mondli Gungubele, without a shot being fired.

The situation prompted some South Africans to ask whether veterans are claiming too much credit for victory, with people yesterday saying it was popular uprisings such as the Sharpeville protests of 1960 that focused the world’s attention on apartheid and helped end it.

The issues that led to the fractious meeting were longstanding grievances among the veterans over compensation for their role in the fight against apartheid. They demand medical insurance, housing, schooling for their children, and £200,000.

According to one veteran, Lesley Kgogo, the United Nations had made money available for the repatriation of the exiled armies in around 1994, when South Africa had its first democratic elections. He claimed the money was given to the African National Congress, and the veterans had wanted to know what happened to the money.

The veterans had expected to be talking to South Africa’s deputy president, David

‘As we were leaving, they closed the doors, and we realised we were held hostage’

Mabuza, but the three cabinet ministers were attending in his place. Several veterans said this was not acceptable.

“As we were leaving the meeting, proceeding to the doors, [the veterans] closed them. It is at that point when we realised that we’re held hostage,” Mr Gungubele said.

He added yesterday that the veterans’ concerns were legitimate but said that their actions were illegal. Scenes broadcast on television showed unidentified people in the room lying on their stomachs during the incident, and an empty hospital gurney.