Cape Town – Two paramedics in Mamelodi, Gauteng, were kidnapped at gunpoint while responding to an emergency call on over the weekend.
The attackers took them to a shack in the bushes, where they were tied up and robbed of their belongings, including personal cellphones and working tools.
Gauteng Department of Health said that an emergency call was placed for an ambulance during the early hours of Saturday. The call was regarding a 48-year-old man who had apparently collapsed due to an unknown condition. However, upon investigation, the occupants of the address where the call originated confirmed that they had not actually made the call for an ambulance.
“An ambulance was dispatched to the area from the Mamelodi base and on arrival in the vicinity of the address, two men waved to stop the crew. When the emergency responders stopped to engage them, the men pulled out firearms and forced them to drive to an unknown location.
WATCH: Video and images of the shack in the field between Nellmapius area and Mavuso informal settlement near Mamelodi where the two @GautengEMS crew members were tied. pic.twitter.com/IaxoALZ7YY
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) July 23, 2023
“Both crew members (a male and female) were taken to a shack between bushes where they were tied up while the assailants drove away with the ambulance,” said the department.
The paramedics managed to escape to the nearby Mavuso squatter camp, and called for help. They had also managed to activate the panic button before the assailants drove away with the ambulance.
The ambulance was later recovered in the same area.
The Gauteng health department condemned the targeting of healthcare workers by criminals and expressed support for measures like installing tracking and surveillance devices on EMS vehicles.
The government is also rolling out panic buttons for healthcare workers and others in vulnerable sectors to enhance emergency responses. Police are investigating the incident.
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Picture: Twitter/@GautengHealth
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
