After a chaotic day in Mthatha that closed hospitals and clinics, barred students from writing exams, closed the airport and disrupted the first day of special votes, order returned to the city by late afternoon. The provincial government said the defence force had been deployed.

The N2 and the R61 were reopened by Monday afternoon as the Eastern Cape Provincial Government confirmed that the defence force had been deployed to "hot spots" such as Mthatha.

All roads in and out of Mthatha were blocked early on Monday, with WhatsApp voice notes warning residents to stay home. The blockade, organised by warring taxi organisations, was a protest that a special operation confiscating firearms late last week favoured one side over the other.

While none of the taxi associations took responsibility for the violence on Monday, it is understood that the Border Taxi Alliance was demanding their firearms back. Two taxi bosses were shot on the R396 last week and three taxi operators have been killed.

Taxi associations sent their own heavily armed security guards to hospitals in Mthatha and Maclear to look after their injured leaders, and this appeared to have triggered the special operation.

While Monday was the first day of special votes in the general elections, the IEC's Masego Sheburi said 107 of 22,600 voting stations couldn't operate due to the taxi strike, most in the OR Tambo area.

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