Emergency services personnel under siege in Gauteng

The attack and hijacking of two paramedics in Tshwane at the weekend have added to the growing list of dangerous places for emergency services to respond to calls in Gauteng.

While the latest incident occurred in Nellmapius near Mamelodi, which is not listed as a hotspot, the increasing number of attacks has led to growing concerns over the essential workers’ safety and the potential threat this poses.

At least nine areas in Tshwane are listed as hotspots by the Gauteng department of health, where response to emergency calls require armed escort by either police or private security. These places include Jukulyn (Soshanguve), Eersterust (Mamelodi), Mshongoville (Atteridgeville) and Boekenhout.

According to the department, on Saturday, paramedics who were attending to what appeared to be a distress call in Nellmapius after midnight, fell into a trap where they were hijacked, kidnapped, and driven to a secluded shack used for a community farming project, where they were assaulted, tied up and robbed.

In Johannesburg alone, nearly 30 areas have been listed as hotspots, with areas such as Alexandra, Westbury, Zola in Soweto, Hillbrow, Braamfisherville, and Yeoville being on the list.

A ward councillor in Nellmapius, Kholofelo Kgopotso, said such incidents would affect the turnaround time for paramedics to respond to emergencies in the area and would affect the quality of services provided.

“They will be scared to attend to our emergencies or have to wait for law enforcement before responding, and this might cause a delay. Some situations are a few seconds away from life and death and that’s why we need our paramedics to respond in time so they can save lives. Paramedics are very important for saving lives and communities need to protect them because criminals are sabotaging communities who are meant to be getting these services.

“I think what happened was so disgraceful. We as a community need to protest our paramedics as they play an essential role in saving lives,” said Kgopotso.

Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said hotspots were determined based on attacks that had regularly occurred in the listed areas. At hotspots, emergency services only attend to callouts if they are accompanied by law enforcement officers or security company personnel, said Modiba yesterday.

Modiba said the crew managed to activate the panic button before the assailants took the ambulance.

“All Gauteng EMS operational vehicles including ambulances are fitted with camera technology and tracking devices. This enabled the armed response company to be on the scene within a few minutes while the police made their way. The ambulance was recovered a few minutes later in the same Nellmapius area,” he said.

In 2022, 14 attacks against paramedics were recorded. 

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the police were investigating a case of hijacking and kidnapping. She said the hijacked vehicle was found and other working tools were also stolen.

Nevhuhulwi said the paramedics were tied, had their cellphones taken and their banking apps login details were used to withdraw money from their bank accounts.

“The suspects abandoned them there and the ambulance was later recovered. No injuries were reported. The police are investigating. The suspects are unknown at this stage,” Nevhuhulwi said.

The crew members, a male and a female, managed to escape to the nearby Mavuso squatter camp, where they called for help.

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za