The Gauteng provincial government has announced that healthcare and emergency service workers that “find themselves in vulnerable spaces” are now being given panic buttons in an effort to reduce the occurrence of attacks on emergency vehicles and their occupants in the province, following the hijacking of two paramedics on the outskirts of Pretoria this past weekend.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on emergency services in South Africa where first responders have been robbed of their possessions and their vehicles looted of their valuable equipment.
Despite all ambulances in the province already being fitted with CCTV cameras and tracking devices, this isn’t enough to stave off criminals that target these vehicles for their own gain.
The trend has grown so prevalent that 38 hotspots have been identified around Gauteng where paramedics are most at risk of being attacked or robbed, and if a call from one of these areas comes through, an armed police or security detail is required to follow the emergency vehicles to the location.
False distress
In the most recent incident, an emergency service crew was dispatched to Nellmapius near Mamelodi in Pretoria in the early morning hours of Saturday, 22 July, following a distress call that said a 48-year-old male had collapsed from an unknown condition, reported IOL.
Upon arriving at the scene, the two paramedics were hijacked by armed men and taken to a secluded shack, where they were tied up and robbed of their cellphones and wallets before the attackers drove off with the ambulance and used their stolen cards to withdraw money.
The on-board tracking device allowed an armed response team to find the paramedics and trace the ambulance which had been looted of some of its medical equipment, according to the Citizen.
The cameras also served to capture footage of the perpetrators, with this already handed to the police for further investigations.
A growing trend
The attack has been condemned by multiple stakeholders within the industry, including ward councilors, the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers, and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
“These workers are the first respondents in times of emergencies and are supposed to help save the lives of the citizens of the country. What they are subjected to at the hands of unscrupulous criminals is uncalled for,” said Neo Lethebe, a spokesperson for the Public Service Union.
“This is an attack not only to them but to the very same people that have put their lives in the hands of these dedicated public servants.”
Almost daily, the province sees an increasing number of what are known as “hotspots” or “red zones” – areas where emergency medical services will not enter without an armed escort by police or private security contractors, according to News24.
Currently, the list is extensive and includes:
Tshwane
- Bokenhout
- Eesterust (Mamelodi)
- Itireleng informal settlement (Laudium)
- Joe Slovo (Lebanon)
- Jukelyn (Soshanguve)
- Mshongoville (Atteridgeville)
- New Eersterust
- Oliven (Itireleng)
- Winterveldt
Ekurhuleni
- Angelo informal settlement (Germiston)
- Reiger Park
West Rand
- Spoko Town
Johannesburg
- Alexander
- Braamfisherville
- Denver Hostel
- Dube Hostel
- Durban Deep
- George Goch Hostel
- Hillbrow Area 2
- Jeppe Hostel Discoverers
- Jerusalem informal settlement
- Kwa Mai Mai Area
- Mangolongolo informal settlement
- Mathole informal settlement
- Mbuzini informal settlement
- Mhlangeni informal settlement
- Mzimhlope Hostel (Hillbrow Base)
- Nomzamo informal settlement
- Pikoko (Ruimsig) informal settlement
- Princess informal settlement
- Riverlea
- Slovo informal settlement
- Snake Park informal settlement
- Westberry Location
- Westbury
- Yeoville
- Zamimpilo informal settlement
- Zola
“The situation is getting more dire with some areas classified as hotspots where responses to emergency calls require armed escorts by either the police or private security firms,” said Dr Simpiwe Sobuwa, Chairperson of the Professional Board for Emergency Care.
“As a result, this interferes with the services that are being provided by the Emergency Care Services and it puts the lives and well-being of the public at risk.”
While Nellmapius is not classified as a hotspot, its ward councilor Kholofelo Kgopotso said that the incident would affect turnaround times in the area, due to fear and hesitation on the paramedics’ part leading to delays.
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