Police escort for medics in 'red zones'

Medic Ebrahim Benjamin was on the medics who were attacked. Medics are advised to avoid certain areas in the city. Picture: Tracey Adams

Medic Ebrahim Benjamin was on the medics who were attacked. Medics are advised to avoid certain areas in the city. Picture: Tracey Adams

Published Feb 3, 2017

Share

Cape Town – No provincial health department ambulances will go into some into certain townships at night without police escorts, the department has announced.

Following the armed attack and robbery of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel on Monday morning, and the subsequent media interest, department spokesperson Robert Daniels provided a list “of areas classified as red zones daily from 6:30pm to 6:30am”.

The red zones are:

* Browns Farm, Phillipi

* Tafelsig

* Hyden Park

* Nyanga

* Gugulethu.

* New Crossroads

* Manenberg

* Hanover Park

* Kalksteenfontein

* Site C, Khayelitsha

* J-Section, Lingelethu

“Ambulances will not enter these areas without a police escort. People living in these areas may expect delays should they call for an ambulance,” Daniels said.

Monday’s attack took at about 2am. Paramadics responding to an emergency in Khayelitsha were held at gunpoint and robbed of their wallets and cellphones.

The incident came weeks after a Melomed24 crew came under attack as they dropped off staff members in Athlone.

Their ambulance's windows were smashed in the attack.

Several attacks on paramedics had been reported over the last year, and led to the medics embarking on a protest in Gugulethu in September.

By then, at least 60 paramedics had been attacked when responding to calls. At one stage, three attacks took place in one weekend.

At the time Garth Botha, an EMS paramedic, described an attack on him and his partner as the “worst night shift as a medic”.

The pair responded to what they thought was a shooting incident, but which turned out to be a stabbing in Paarl.

Botha posted about his ordeal on Facebook, saying they were attacked by about 10 knife-wielding men who wanted to get to the patient.

“I think their intention was to kill him… They were like animals trying to break down the doors of the ambulance. They even broke one of the side windows by stabbing through it. Luckily we could get away.”

He said one of the men even hung on to the side of the ambulance for more than 200 metres.

The other two incidents were in Philippi and Harare.

In Philippi, residents apprehended a suspect and handed him over to the police.

Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said her department had introduced Operation Khuseleka (Be safe) last year, so paramedics could contact the police before they responded to emergencies in areas they felt were dangerous.

EMS medics had been given training to deal with situations where they were in danger.

Mbombo also said communities had a responsibility to ensure medics were protected when responding to calls.

“We appeal to those who call ambulances to inform other community members for protection. An assault on a paramedic is an assault on the community,” she said.

Anyone with information can call their nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMA Crimeline 32211.

Cape Argus

Related Topics: