Members of management at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha have been held hostage by nurses.
Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said this morning that the nurses had locked them in a boardroom, and police were called in to rescue them during the night.
No shots were fired and there were no incidents, but Kupelo said the nurses had abandoned their posts.
The nurses were unhappy about the night duty allowances they were owed.