Ministerial hostage drama: 42 military vets granted bail

This after a group of 53 men and women identified as the Liberation Struggle War Veterans held two ministers and a deputy minister hostage at the St George's Hotel in Centurion last week.

Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise was accompanied by her deputy Thabang Makwetla and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele to a meet with the war veterans when consultations collapsed.

The vets held the trio hostage for 3 hours before the police's Special Task Force intervened.

The group, now charged with kidnapping, made their first court appearance on Monday.

They returned to a crammed courtroom at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre on Tuesday where 42 were granted R500 bail.

Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng Lumka Mahanjana says the 11 remaining suspects are due back in court on Friday for their bail application.

Mahanjana adds one of the suspects remains in hospital.

The military veterans were allegedly demanding over R4 million each, housing, medical aid and bursaries for their children.

This despite the group not being registered under military associations organised under the umbrella structure, the South African National Military Veterans Associations.

Meanwhile, suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has labelled the demands of the arrested military veterans as genuine.

Magashule defended the vets outside the Bloemfontein High Court in the Free State following his court appearance in the asbestos corruption case.

Magashule told journalists outside court in Bloemfontein the vets are struggling to make ends meet.

"Those freedom fighters who fought for freedom and they have no shelter today and their children cannot go to school. Those freedom fighters we support them and wherever they die, we will die with them."

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