Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers in Nelson Mandela Bay protested outside the city hall last week, calling for safer working conditions after numerous robberies and attacks, and pleading for community support when performing their duties.
“I kneel down and pray to God each time I leave home for work, asking him to save me from these criminals. They are heartless and don’t care that EMS staff perform a critical job,” said a Gqeberha paramedic and father of two, who asked not to be named.
He and his work partner were robbed of cash and other valuables while responding to an emergency in Zwide last year – just one of about 20 armed attacks on EMS workers in the 2023/24 financial year, writes Joseph Chirume for GroundUp.
The most recent incident was last Monday, when EMS staff were robbed of their cellphones and personal items at KwaZakhele clinic by six armed men.
Police spokesperson Andre Beegte confirmed the attack, adding that the gang had also attempted to drive off with the ambulance but then abandoned it before fleeing.
The spike in attacks has prompted requests for police to escort EMS vehicles in crime hotspot areas.
Leading the protest last Wednesday was district manager for health Sonia Lupondwana, who said some EMS workers have been personally threatened both on and off duty.
A memorandum of demands she handed to Mayor Gary van Niekerk included a request for ward-based structures to deal with safety issues and to ensure EMS workers were protected when entering those communities. There was also a request for metro police to commit to bolstering the safety of EMS workers in communities.
The mayor told the protesting paramedics that none of the demands was unreasonable.
On the attacks and robberies of EMS, he said it was a societal problem. “No SAPS or metro police can solve this. We need the input of communities.”
GroundUp article – Medical workers protest against attacks on them (Creative Commons Licence)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
EMS crews beaten, shot and robbed
SA paramedics’ daily dice with danger
Paramedics hijacked, robbed in Pretoria