Prison hearing for ‘war vets’ who held ministers hostage

Disgruntled military veterans who allegedly held ministers Thandi Modise and Mondli Gungubele “hostage” last week are set to appear in the prison court at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria on Monday.

TimesLIVE reported previously that 56 people were arrested and are likely to face charges of at least three counts of kidnapping after Thursday night’s drama. Three of the people arrested were taken for medical checks.

Some members of the liberation struggle war veterans are gathered outside the prison in solidarity with the accused.

Lesly Kgogo, a member of the war veterans, showed TimesLIVE a video of events in the Saint George Hotel, saying the veterans were not armed and were negotiating with the ministers.

“I feel bad that our comrades have been arrested for something that is not worth it. These are people who have liberated the country and they cannot be treated as hooligans.

“They are not terrorists. They are family people. Every minister who is sitting in parliament today is there because of them,” he said.

This is a developing story

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