WATCH: Mthatha in Eastern Cape brought to standstill by protesting taxi operators

Mthatha in the Eastern Cape has been brought to a standstill by protesting taxi operators who have blocked exits to the area.

The Eastern Cape Department of Transport urged motorists travelling to Mthatha on Monday to either delay their travel or avoid the town completely.

Watch trucks being looted in the Eastern Cape

Trucks being looted: Umtata, Eastern Cape.#CrimeWatch pic.twitter.com/xIKQOiW9Vz

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 27, 2024

Looting

Spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the protesting taxi operators allegedly hijacked trucks and used them to blockade both sides of the N2 as well as the R61.

“All the major entry/exit points have been blockaded, allegedly by protesting taxi operators. They have hijacked trucks and used them to blockade both sides of the N2, and have done the same on the R61 road.

“This has also affected the operations in the Mthatha Airport, which has also been forced to close for the time being,” Binqose said.

ALSO READ: Eastern Cape warns ‘fearmongers’ threatening shutdown during elections

High alert

He said law enforcement agencies are on high alert.

“Law enforcement agencies continue to work around the clock to restore law and order in Mthatha. However, there are now reports of massive looting of trucks that are carrying goods into Mthatha, incidents that are likely to have creeping effects on the economy, not just of the town but of the province and the country,” said Binqose.

The N2 is seen as one of the country’s major arteries as it connects the Eastern Cape with KwaZulu-Natal in the north and the Western Cape in the south.

Election violence

Meanwhile, with just a day left before South Africans go to the polls, Eastern Cape Transport and Community Safety MEC Xolile Nqatha has warned people who intend to disrupt the elections in the province.

This comes after voice notes and videos have been circulated on social media, seeking to intimidate, incite violence, and threaten people’s democratic right to participate in the upcoming elections.

Incitement

The department said the most recent of these social media posts is a brazen video recording of a man, allegedly who calls for a complete shutdown of Mthatha and a stop of election campaigns in and around Mthatha, less than 48 hours before the elections.

“The utterances of the man, in particular, are an insult to the sacrifices of many of our liberation struggle heroes and heroines. He is virtually spitting in the faces of all our anti-apartheid heroes and heroines, many of whom have sacrificed their lives for this right to vote and the right for freedom of movement that he now wants to take away from our people,” said Nqatha.

He said his department is working closely with the police and is determined to end the taxi violence in the province.

ALSO READ: BMA intercepts 28 Bangladeshis with fake visas at OR Tambo Airport