INSIDE ST GEORGE’S ‘SIEGE’

■ They tried to escort the minister to the bathroom during the hostage drama. ■ Three military veterans who took part in the hostage crisis are critical in hospital after they were allegedly severely beaten.

THREE military veterans who took part in Thursday evening’s hostage drama where two ministers and a deputy minister were held against their will at the St George’s Hotel and Conference Centre in Irene, Tshwane, were fighting for their lives at different hospitals yesterday after they were allegedly severely beaten.

A fourth veteran had his kidney damaged during the beatings, it is alleged.

The veterans, who call themselves Liberation Struggle War Veterans (LSWV) consisting of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the Azanian People’s Liberation Army (Apla) and the Azanian National Liberation Army (Azanla), believe that the ANC took $128 million (R1.86 billion) from the United Nations earmarked as compensation for freedom fighters.

They say the money was invested in different companies where only the “elite” allegedly benefitted. A member of LSWV, Lesley Kgogo, yesterday said one of their members was in bad shape in hospital.

“We visited them in hospital. They are in critical condition and one of them is really fighting for his life. Our own comrades whom we fought (alongside) with in exile for the liberation of this country have sent our enemies to beat us and harm us. We were not armed or carrying any weapon but we were severely beaten,” he said.

Kgogo said they were told to come to the hotel where they were expecting to be addressed by Deputy President David Mabuza, but were surprised when they were told that he was not available to meet them when they arrived.

“The whole thing was orchestrated to make us look bad. We have been negotiating on these issues since November last year. All we want is to be paid from the $128 million that the United Nations gave the ANC for our reparations.

“It isn’t taxpayers’ money and we know that they invested some of the money in different companies where only the elite are benefiting while we are dying as paupers.”

Kgogo’s allegations about the $128m from the UN were confirmed by retired General Enoch Mashoala, who is the chairperson of database verification and enhancement, an entity that verifies the credentials of all the liberation veterans, who said this money had been a bone of contention during the negotiations.

Mashoala was also held hostage alongside Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, as well as Deputy Defence Minister Thabang Makwetla.

“The issue about the $128 million from the UN was raised with Deputy President Mabuza and we are still waiting for further evidence about this money so the matter can be properly addressed.

“I am a military veteran myself and I would love to benefit from it too,” Mashoala said. He said he was called to the meeting to make a presentation as part of the eight work streams tasked with dealing with military veterans issues.

Mashoala said the veterans were agitated when they were told that Mabuza, who was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to head a task team dealing with military veterans matters, was not available to address them as promised.

“I must admit that we haven’t communicated adequately with the veterans and their issues isn’t (sic) a new thing, but they had no right to keep us hostage.

“Imagine these guys, when Minister Modise, who wasn’t feeling well and came off the bed to come and address them, asked to go to the bathroom during the hostage situation, they refused unless they could escort her to the toilet. I negotiated with their leadership to allow the minister to go to the bathroom without being escorted and I eventually succeeded.”

However, Kgogo said what caused the breakdown was a “disrespectful attitude from Mondli (Gungubele).”

“They kept us waiting for two hours. They didn’t even apologise for it and then they told us that the deputy president wasn’t available to see us.

“But we all know now that as they were keeping us waiting for ‘a meeting with the Deputy President’, they were organising private security companies and special forces to come and attack us. The ministers had their armed bodyguards and we weren’t armed. We came to the meeting in good faith only to be beaten and treated like criminals for demanding what is due to us.

“Our demands have been clear from day one. We want to be compensated from the money paid by the UN. We want all freedom fighters to be absorbed in various departments according to their skills. We want medical aid, as our health is deteriorating.

“The ANC stole the money meant for the liberation veterans and now we are called criminals when we ask the leadership about it. Who is the criminal here, the thief or the victim of a crime?”

Kgogo rejected as untrue claims that they were demanding R4m each.

“That’s a lie, we are asking for what is due to us. We are talking about 45 000 members who fought for the liberation of this country, but go to bed hungry every night while those who were sitting on Robben Island, while we were dodging bullets in the trenches, are living large.” Military veteran and Pan African Congress spokesperson Jaki Seroke confirmed that the veterans were angry over the government’s failure to honour them and to look after them.

“There’s a Military Veterans Act of 2011 which outlines the delivery of 11 benefits including military pension, access to education, access to health services, housing, etc. These are basic benefits that are due to people who have served their country with their lives.

“There were also problems with the delivery mechanism. For example, one of the government departments uses different criteria – for instance, before they give you a house they take you to the Human Settlements Department and the department requires a spouse.

“Again, those houses are too small and you know the RDP houses are inadequate. So all that has created a lot of problems for the veterans. The other problem is that they are required to have service numbers, meaning you must have been in the army – the current SANDF.”

Last year, Mabuza held extensive discussions with the veterans and their associations to assess and hear their grievances and Seroke said all hell broke loose when ministers wanted to leave during a conversation where veterans were also following up on their meeting with Mabuza.

“And there were logistics problems that were not resolved. People have a right to follow up and demand to be listened to. There was no hostage situation,” said Seroke.

A retired SANDF general, Maomela “Mojo” Motau, described the veterans’ situation as pathetic, adding that they were treated worse than everyone.

“If you go to a place called Liana in Angola there are beautiful houses which were built for liberation war cadres, by their own government without people having to complain. Here in SA, we didn’t recognise the fact that liberation came because of the military veterans, particularly the Umkhonto we Sizwe and other organisations.

“Had we recognised them, we would have formed a particular organisation to take care of those who participated in the liberation Struggle.

“I am a pensioner and I am still trying to pay with my salary. We registered for the children to be paid and my son is doing his final year. He was told that he can’t write final year exams until the DMV pays.

“That is one problem we created. We created a DMV but we deal with it like another department where you can employ a civilian in the street who doesn't know about the challenges of the military veterans. The comrades don't want to be rich, they just want a normal life,” said Motau, adding that there was no hostage situation, just a scuffle.

“We are fighting the military veterans who were unarmed and we are locking them up while foreigners with weapons are burning taxis in the Eastern Cape. Now the attention is focusing on these people who have gone there by arrangements and they were not armed like, you see, those people in Eastern Cape,” he said.

While addressing a press conference on Friday, Modise said they did not feel that their lives were in danger, but insisted that when the police stormed the area, they were not dealing with anything else but criminals who were violating people’s rights.

“We were unhappy about being refused to leave when the meeting had clearly been 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.”

SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said three suspects who were providing support were released on Friday while 53 would appear in court tomorrow.

He said the suspects were likely to be charged with at least three counts of kidnapping.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said the operation had been peaceful as no blood was spilt, nobody was shot, the law was enforced and the people were protected.

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe could not be reached for comment as he also failed to answer questions sent to him about money from the UN.