by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
Editor-In-Chief
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE holding hostage of some cabinet ministers by veterans of the struggle is an explosion of simmering tensions between government and combatants of South Africa’s liberation.
Relations have been a ticking time bomb mirroring the factionalism within Africa’s oldest liberation movement.
The hostage debacle further raises questions about security in a country where kidnappings are on a surge.
If high-ranking officials enjoying the privilege of bodyguards could be held hostage, what of the ordinary members of the public in a nation where violent crime in general is on the increase?
Last week, military veterans took hostage Minister Thandi Modise (Defence and Military Veterans), her deputy Thabang Makwetla and the Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele at a hotel in Centurion, southwest of the capital, Pretoria.
A deadlock between the government officials and the veterans over the latter’s demands led to the ex-combatants barricading exits and holding the cabinet officials hostage.
After attempts to negotiate with the hostage takers to release the individuals had failed, police resorted to a “tactical approach” and successfully rescued the hostages.
Some 56 veterans, including seven women, were arrested during the evening incident.
Fifty-two (52) of the individuals this week appeared in court facing five charges of kidnapping. This after two bodyguards were allegedly also held hostage alongside the cabinet members by the veterans group.
The state is considering adding terrorism-related charges.
Apprehension punctuated their appearance at the magistrate’s court in the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria.
Defiant veterans sang liberation songs. Outside, fellow ex-combatants also chanted and sang revolutionary choruses.
In yet another case of typical police bungling, investigating enforcers came under fire from the court for failure to verify addresses and possible pending cases or previous convictions against the accused on the days from the arrest (Thursday) and the court appearance (Monday).
A storm has been brewing for months between the African National Congress- (ANC-) led government.
Apparently, this being the run-up to the local government elections, the veterans had held the government could yield to their demands including a gratuity payment of R4 million (US$272 500) each.
The government of President Cyril Ramaphosa is cash-strapped, its distresses compounded by the effects of the coronavirus on the economy. Critics blame government corruption for some economic woes.
There are demands for integration of ex-combatants into law enforcement and state security agencies.
The ruling party’s uMkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation) is among the veterans making demands, alongside the Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA) and Azanian National Liberation Army (AZANLA).
Demands were first brought to the government’s attention in November last year when former combatants marched to the Union Buildings – the seat of the executive- in Pretoria.
On the intra-party front, ANC and the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) have been at loggerheads since June this year when the ruling party disbanded the latter.
This came in the wake of a group calling itself the disbanded MK Council split from MKMVA.
This is attributed to the factional battles in the ANC.
MKMVA, seen as sympathetic to ex-president, Jacob Zuma, resisted the disbanding.
In September, MKMVA members booed ANC chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, during his eulogy at the funeral of Kebby Maphatsoe, the association’s president.
Some military veterans have been camping outside the ANC’s headquarters in Johannesburg in recent days, amplifying their demands, alongside other party workers demanding unpaid salaries.
Carl Niehaus, spokesperson of the MKMVA, called on authorities to release the veterans: “instead of being overly defensive
and aggressive, to respectfully engage with all military veterans.”
Following the hostage drama, questions have been asked once again about the country’s Intelligence Services.
Dianne Kohler Barnard, Shadow Minister of State Security of the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), said Intelligence Services had “learned nothing from their failures” during the July riots which left 300 people (dead) and ravaged the economic further.
Intelligence failures were blamed for the violence that saw properties looted and burnt mostly in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) following Zuma’s arrest for contempt of court.
During a cabinet reshuffle in August, Ramaphosa brought the Intelligence Services into the Presidency.
He said the move would “ensure that the country’s domestic and foreign intelligence services (were run) more effectively (to) enable the President to exercise his responsibility to safeguard the security and integrity of the nation.”
Barnard said this pledge was contrary to the recent hostage debacle.
“Sadly our intelligence divisions have failed miserably once again hard on the heels of failing to foresee the KZN/Gauteng riots in July,” she said.
Parliament has denounced the actions by the military veterans.
Cyril Xaba, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (DMV), said nonetheless they were aware and note the challenges faced by military veterans.
“We remain unambiguously in opposing coercion and violence as a means to resolve these challenges,” he said.
“We call on the government and military veterans to work together in a constructive manner to find solutions to this impasse,” Xaba added.
Meanwhile, there have been an increase of reports of kidnappings in South Africa in recent times, particularly targeting businesspeople.
Experts blame multinational criminal gangs.
– CAJ News