Police had confiscated almost 50 firearms. Most were seized from guards and taxi owners at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha where they were protecting Border Alliance Taxi Association (Bata) taxi bosses wounded when their convoy was ambushed between Nqanqarhu and Tsolo on Wednesday.The guards had previously been stationed at Maclear Hospital, but moved with the patients to Mthatha.
Naidu said the firearms had been tested on Saturday.
Spokesperson for health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth, Mkhululi Ndamase, said eight people were being treated at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital for various injuries sustained during Monday’s unrest.
“All sustained rubber bullet wounds, gunshot wounds and fractures. They have been assessed and are undergoing treatment.
“Seven of the eight are in a stable condition ... one is in a serious condition.”
Mthatha Bata branch chair Mthuthuzeli Sogoni confirmed they had received their firearms.
“The firearms were handed to some of us at about noon ... at the Mthatha Central police station. Now the strike is over ...
“We wanted our firearms to be returned so we can protect our leaders.”
Sogoni said AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo was part of the delegation when the firearms were handed back.
Monday’s shutdown affected the work of political parties, which had been gearing up for Monday and Tuesday’s special votes and voting day on Wednesday.
IEC electoral officer Khayakazi Magudumana said about 455 voting stations were unable to open in the morning due to the protests.
By late afternoon this number had dropped to 108, with 81 stations still closed in Port St Johns, 19 in King Sabata Dalindyebo, seven in the Nyandeni municipality and one in the Ndlambe municipality.
“With time, with assistance from police, the roads were cleared for us to move from the satellite storage site to the various stations.
“The reason there are no operations at Port St Johns and KSD is because of the road closures. In Nyandeni it has been mostly community protests, and in one case one of our presiding officers was stabbed.”
A total of 288,005 special votes were expected to be cast in the Eastern Cape on Monday and Tuesday.
Schools in the area, with matric pupils due to write exams, were also affected.
Education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said schools in OR Tambo’s two education districts were affected.
He could not say whether the department had arranged for pupils to rewrite missed exams.
Political parties have been angered by the situation.
A truck delivering EFF merchandise and voters’ rolls was looted.
EFF provincial secretary Simthembile Madikizela said the truck was transporting 10,000 party T-shirts and voters’ rolls sent to ensure fair voting.
“The company will take the issue further and they have committed to reprint the T-shirts.”
DA provincial leader Andrew Whitfield said: “Police ... must do what needs to be done to preserve the electoral process.”
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said: “We can’t go out, even the presiding officers who are supposed to have woken up early to go to the villages to do the special votes are trapped.
“This shows that the government is not close to the people, they didn’t even have intelligence that the taxi drivers were planning to blockade.”
ANC provincial spokesperson Gift Ngqondi condemned the “sporadic” violent protests, describing them as “well engineered, counter-revolutionary acts of sabotage that will cripple the provincial economy”.
Ngqondi said protests on Monday morning had taken place in areas around the R61 in Bizana, Mthatha, Mnquma and Mbhashe.
“These protests are highly-sponsored acts of sabotage.”
Action SA provincial leader Athol Trollip said it was a concern that “we have a government that tolerates violence”.
By midday, transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said authorities had reopened some routes, including the N2 leading to East London, but other routes were still blocked, partly because keys for trucks used in the blockades had been mislaid. Organised business in Mthatha warned the situation could have dire consequences.
In Mthatha, businesses remained closed on Monday. Roads in the CBD were littered with obstacles, including overturned cement waste bins, broken bottles and rocks.
A video of people looting delivery trucks on the N2 went viral on social media.
Naidu said at least five people had been arrested by 10am.
“This was after shots were fired at public order policing and Mthatha Vispol members ...
“A case of attempted murder and possession of firearms was opened for further investigation.”
Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene said police would “take strict action against anyone found to be engaging in activities that threaten the safety and security of the public and the integrity of the election process”.
Ndamase said ambulances from outlying areas could not reach the main hospitals. “Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, Mthatha Regional and St Barnabas Hospital staff who worked the night shift could not go home while those who were supposed to report for duty could not get to work because of the blocked roads. “This has forced hospitals to operate with skeleton staff.”
Sogoni said they had been demanding that police return their firearms since Thursday night.
“Our leaders were ambushed on Wednesday, and some killed.
“Our security guards were guarding our injured taxi leaders in hospital when police came and seized the firearms and left us vulnerable to attack.
“Do they want the people who shot our leaders to come and finish them off?”
Uncedo taxi operators in Mthatha said they had not been part of the action to close roads.
Mthatha businessman and Eastern Cape Chamber of Business president Vuyisile Ntlabati lashed out at the police for failing to prevent the violence.
“It is killing our businesses. Every hour counts and we have salaries and overheads to pay.
“They [police] are just reactionary. This was all over social media days before it happened.”
Mthatha Ratepayers and Residents’ Association spokesperson Madyibi Ngxekana said the state had failed ordinary citizens.
KSD mayor Nyaniso Nelani, through his spokesperson Olwethu Mabovula, said they were deeply concerned by the events.
OR Tambo district mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana said they were worried about the safety of pedestrians, motorists, truck drivers and passengers.
Nyandeni municipality mayor Viwe Ndamase said his own children could not get to school.
OR Tambo Nafcoc chair Phumelele Madikiza said: “In the hours before 2pm, Mthatha has lost R100m in business, affecting both employers and employees.
“We blame poor police intelligence ... We heard about this as early as Friday and police did nothing to prevent it.”
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