South Africa’s Minister of Defence Thandi Modise was briefly held by veterans and prevented from leaving the St George Hotel in Gauteng along with Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele and Deputy Defence Minister Thabang Makwetla before being freed by special forces.
Modise was part of a delegation meeting with liberation struggle war veterans to discuss benefits and the government’s failure to meet their demands, including a gratuity payment of R4 million (almost €235,000) each, according to eNCA.
The veterans barricaded the doors to prevent Modise and the others from leaving, South African media reported, demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa address their concerns.
Modise, Gungubele and Makwetla were “rescued from the veterans and taken to a place of safety” by military Special Forces who stormed the hotel using stun grenades, South African media reported.
