Parents‚ pupils and taxi associations brought part of Nelson Mandela Bay to a standstill on Monday in a protest over teacher shortages and the closure of 33 schools in the city.

Main roads in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas were blockaded by protesters and transport came to a complete halt as taxis from the area to other parts of the city joined the day-long action.

Police have deployed additional manpower from different police stations across the Bay as well as the public order policing unit.

Police spokesman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said a water cannon was also deployed to the scene.

“Rubber bullets have been fired as well as stun grenades and teargas used to disperse the crowds‚” she said.

“At this stage‚ we are trying stabilise the area and are deploying extra resources.”

According to Brenhan Metune‚ head of EMS in Nelson Mandela Bay‚ ambulances are also unable to enter the area.

Janse van Rensburg added that no arrests for public violence had yet been made.

The schools were shut earlier this month‚ with the department of education blaming some of the schools for failing to submit the documents necessary for the appointment of new teachers.

These include Arcadia High‚ Arcadia Primary‚ Bayview Primary‚ Bethvale Primary‚ Booysen Park Primary‚ DW Habelgaarn Primary‚ Gelvan Park Primary‚ Kroneberg Primary‚ Paterson High and Kwanoxolo Primary.

Northern areas schools in the city have been plagued by debilitating teacher shortages for years‚ leading to numerous protests and protracted school shutdowns‚ with the department citing a crippling lack of Afrikaans-medium teachers around the province.

Parents accuse the department of neglecting their children’s schools.