Demonstrators prevented emergency medical personnel from helping a diabetic and a person who’d been hit by a rubber bullet.

On Tuesday‚ roads were blocked at Zithobeni near Bronkhorstspruit by people protesting about a local election nomination list‚ the Gauteng health department said in a statement on Friday.

And protestors stopped an ambulance from reaching a resident who had a rubber bullet wound.

The Gauteng health department has pleaded with “members of the community to desist from attacking and preventing emergency medical personnel from accessing and exiting their communities during protests”.

MEC for health Qedani Mahlangu said: “At all times there is a need to minimise loss of lives and prevention of long-term complications due to emergency care being delayed unnecessarily‚ we therefore implore members of the community to allow staff to do their work without any hindrance.”

Such conduct also endangers the lives of medics‚ she added.