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The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) notes news reports that three high-ranking government officials were allegedly ‘held hostage’ by military veterans on the evening of Thursday, 14 October.

It is extremely regrettable that not one, but two Ministers - Defence Minister, Thandi Modise, and Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele – as well as a Deputy Minister - Deputy Minister of Defence, Thabang Makwetla – found themselves in this situation.

If one considers both the VIP Protection afforded to Ministers, as well as the role and responsibility of the intelligence services, this incident should never have occurred.

Further, questions must be asked as to who these ‘military veterans’ are: whose interests do they represent and what are their grievances - which they felt were serious enough to risk going to jail for.

The public deserves a full account of what transpired behind closed doors on Thursday night.

Tragically, this incident once again highlights the complete incompetence of South Africa’s intelligence services under the ruling party. After their monumental failures were exposed in July, we would have hoped that steps would have been taken to strengthen the security apparatus, so as to ensure the safety and security of all South Africans. It appears that this is not the case.

Issued by IFP