‘It is not so much a crisis’: ANC’s Pule Mabe on ministers’ kidnapping

African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Pule Mabe has said that the hostage situation involving Defence Minister Thandi Modise and her counterpart in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele should not be seen as a crisis.

Mabe was in Tshwane, where the ANC was on the campaign trail ahead of the local government elections. His comments come a day before Gungubele, Modise and her deputy Thabang Makwetla were held hostage by disgruntled military veterans at the St. George’s Hotel in Irene, Centurion on Thursday evening, 14 October.

“It is not so much a crisis. Leading up to the meeting the liberation war veterans had yesterday, they came to Luthuli House to raise their issues on Monday,” he said.

When Gungubele recounted the incident, he said the meeting with the ex-combatants broke down when they failed to reach consensus and subsequently decided to adjourn, however they were then prevented from leaving.

ANC’s Pule Mabe on ministers’ kidnapping

When asked by journalists about the ministers’ hostage rescue, Pule Mabe said their grievances should be looked at by the government and were not necesarrily matters for the ANC to attend to.

Mabe said as the ANC, they are comforted by the fact that law enforcement were able to intervene.

“We were told it’s not that the situation had gone out of control and there was violence, it is just that the cadres could not find each other and could not lend each other an ear, which is not helpful,” he said.

“Comrade Gungubele, in his capacity as minister in the presidency, and comrade Modise, in her capacity dealing with military veterans, were to meet them to try to see if the issues they were raising could be addressed, but also give them feedback on the process happening at that level”

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe