An ambulance responding to an emergency call was hijacked, allegedly by the callers, in Mpumalanga at the weekend.

The ambulance, from the Tonga emergency services station in the Nkomazi region, near Malelane, responded to what turned out to be a hoax call. On its arrival at the scene of the fake emergency, the two male paramedics manning it were hijacked and robbed. Their hands were tied and they were dumped in the veld.

The ambulance was found yesterday near the border between Mozambique and South Africa.

"Ambulances provide an important service and they should always be used with care.

"We encourage people to ensure that calls made to the emergency services are always legitimate", said Mpho Gabashane, a spokesman for provincial Health Department.

Police spokesman Constable Mzwandile Nyambi said the police were investigating a case of armed robbery and car-hijacking. - Sakhile Mokoena