Modise: No plans to beef up security in wake of hostage drama
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise has denied that she and two colleagues were in danger during Thursday night's hostage drama.
Modise, her deputy Thabang Makwetla and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele were locked in the St George's Hotel in Centurion after talks between military veterans and government collapsed.
The situation turned tense inside one of the conference rooms when the a group, known as the Liberation Struggle War Veterans, refused to engage in further talks with government in the absence of Deputy President David Mabuza.
Mabuza heads up the Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans.
The three-hour long standoff resulted in 56 arrests.
But Modise is adamant the events have not weakened the state.
"We should say that we are very proud as South Africa to engage, to sit amongst our communities and amongst our military vets without think they will kill us.
"We did not feel our lives were at danger - we were unhappy about being refused when the meeting clearly had aborted. We do not think that any citizen, whether they had volunteered to fight for the liberation of this country, has any right to interfere with any individual to sit or to walk or to do whatever - that is the crux of what we are taking with here."
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While government doesn't believe there is a need to beef up security for officials in the wake of the incident, Modise said better care will be taken in future.
"I hope that at no stage will we go overboard and make sure that a minister goes into a meeting with four or five bodyguards.
"Our protectors were there. No, they were not tempted to beat up anybody, they knew that we could hold our own.”
The military veterans were allegedly demanding over R4 million each, housing, medical aid and bursaries for their children.
Government believes it has made headway in dealing with some of the issues faced by the members of various military associations organised under the umbrella structure, the South African National Military Veterans Associations.
The disgruntled group is not recognised under this banner.
But Modise said are plans are in place to further engage the members.
"I think 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.
"I was prepared to have a meeting and I am still waiting to have a meeting with military vets, the recognised one and this particular one which I'm still waiting to see if they will reapply as they have been asked three times to reapply so that they can get recognition from the minister," Modise explained.
Listen to Modise below:
