Home

Defence in military veterans alleged kidnap case oppose postponement of the matter

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The defence in the case of the 56 military veterans who allegedly held two ministers and one deputy minister hostage is opposing an application by the state to postpone the matter for seven days.

The accused appeared at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Services’s prison court in Pretoria. They were arrested after they allegedly held Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Thandi Modise, her deputy Thabang Makwetla and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele hostage at the St George’s Hotel in Pretoria on Thursday night.

The state says it still needs to gather information.

Advocate Dali Mpofu has argued the detention of the accused is unlawful and the court should dismiss the application to postpone the matter and proceed with the bail application.

VIDEO: Military veterans in court for allegedly holding ministers hostage

Following the incident on Thursday, Modise said that the events that unfolded demonstrate that South Africa is not security heavy.

She further sought to explain what efforts government has been making to address the plight of military veterans.

Modise also says she is still waiting to have a meeting with the military veterans.

“It demonstrates that South Africa is not a security-heavy state. That ministers still trust fellow citizens to sit around with them. It also demonstrates that we will go to any instance to hear concerns about any citizen whether they are liberation veterans or ordinary citizens to listen to the concerns that they put to us. This meeting was not planned as such, we went there because the Presidential Task Team invited us to go because the matter was there. It is also true that we were aware that this particular grouping had started at Luthuli House.

I was prepared to have a meeting and I am still waiting to have a meeting with the military vets, the recognised one, and this particular one which I am still waiting to see if  they will reapply so that they can get recognition from the minister,” says Modise.

Author

MOST READ