Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and the personal assistant to Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi had a heated argument in Mahlabathini in Northern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.
Lekota accused Thamsanqua Duma of asking him to leave the Buthelezi Tribal Court voting station so that Buthelezi could cast his ballot.
"You cannot tell me that I cannot monitor elections anywhere. This is a national voting station here," a visibly upset Lekota told Duma.
"I don't have to explain what I am doing here."
Duma told reporters after the argument that he had not asked Lekota to leave but wanted to know when he would go so that Buthelezi could come and vote.
He said African etiquette dictated that Lekota should have informed Buthelezi, who is a local inkhosi, that he would be in the area. However, Lekota said: "There is nowhere in the law that says I need to get permission to go to a station."
Shortly afterwards, Lekota left the polling station.
The defence minister and Deputy Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Cheryl Gillwald will be spending the day at stations in northern KwaZulu-Natal to observe that security is in place and that the voting day is stable.
Before the argument Lekota told reporters that he had so far received no reports of security problems.
"Everything seems to be stable so far."
He said his one concern was that when he visited voting stations in nearby Ulundi there were only IFP agents. He said other parties should have organised agents at this station. - Sapa