Concern for first responders’ safety has become a priority in the Tshwane Metro, following the recent hijacking of an emergency management services (EMS) vehicle and the kidnapping of the ambulance crew in Mamelodi, northeast of Pretoria, last month.

The emergency vehicle was hijacked, and the crew kidnapped when they responded to a call in Strikers Street, Nellmapius, at the end of July.

Gauteng Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba says the department is working around the clock to fit dashcams and tracking devices in all crews’ vehicles to ensure their safety.

He adds 90% of the fleet already had dashcams and the project will be completed soon.

MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says to improve response times, her department has fitted smart technology in emergency vehicles such as push-to-talk devices that have live tracking.

She explains continuous engagement with the police, metro police and crime prevention wardens to escort emergency vehicles to hotspots had been implemented.

Nkomo-Ralehoko gave the assurance that the Gauteng EMS would continue to work on strategies to improve priority response times to under 30 minutes.

She adds that the department had procured five 4×4 specialised ambulances to access all terrains and reduce patient waiting times in rural areas.

“The introduction of G-set (Gauteng Scheduled Emergency Transport) will free up ambulances to respond to primary calls like accidents, assaults, house emergencies and others. The programme has already yielded positive results in terms of response times, a smooth model of patient referral, safe transportation and improved patient experience.”

The MEC pointed out that service delivery protests, hotspots to which ambulances must be escorted by police, and paramedic attacks are among the leading causes of delays in response times.

The hotspots include Jukulyn (Soshanguve), Eersterust (Mamelodi), Mshongoville (Atteridgeville) and Boekenhout in Tshwane.

Nkomo-Ralehoko says her department pleads with residents not to block ambulances during protests or to allow criminals to intimidate EMS workers carrying out their duties.

Residents vow to help

Nellmapius residents vowed to work with law enforcement in apprehending the criminals who recently robbed paramedics during a call-out in the area.

Community leader Eddie Mathiba says what happened to the ambulance crew was unacceptable and should never be allowed.

Mathiba calls on residents to take a stand to prevent attacks on paramedics and hijacking of ambulances.

He implores the community to come forward with any information that can lead to the arrest of the perpetrators, saying this can be done anonymously.

“An ambulance is here to save lives and when you attack paramedics, who are going to help us in the case of an emergency?” asks Mathiba.

He says paramedics will now fear for their lives when they respond to call-outs in Nellmapius.

“Therefore we need to work with law enforcement to help find these perpetrators.”

Mathiba did not believe the robbers were from Nellmapius, but suspected they might be foreigners.