Driver's emergency call brushed off

Cape Town - 140324 - (MURRAY TO SUPPLY PROPER CAPTIONS) A Service Delivery protest closed the N2 in Strand today near Lwandle when protestors barricaded the road with rocks, burning tyres and other debris. Photo: Murray Williams

Cape Town - 140324 - (MURRAY TO SUPPLY PROPER CAPTIONS) A Service Delivery protest closed the N2 in Strand today near Lwandle when protestors barricaded the road with rocks, burning tyres and other debris. Photo: Murray Williams

Published Apr 16, 2015

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Cape Town - “What do you want me to do? What do you want me to do?”

This was the response to a distressed motorist on the N2 highway near Mfuleni by an emergency call centre operator trained to keep callers calm and transfer them to the appropriate departments.

Hermanus resident Keith Ashen dialled 10177 - the emergency ambulance number - when his car’s tyre was ruptured by a rock placed on the infamous “Hell Run” - the stretch of road along the N2 highway between Somerset West and Cape Town International Airport.

The road has become a hot spot for criminals who place rocks and concrete slabs on it as a ploy to force motorists to stop. Criminals then rob, and sometimes even assault, the motorists.

Ashen was driving at 4am to catch a flight to Johannesburg when he hit the rock. He did not stop to change the wheel. Instead, out of fear for his safety, he continued driving and dialled the number.

STARK REALITY

The response he received astounded him, Ashen said.

“I was doing the Hell Run when the well-known ambush tactic became a stark reality to me. I managed to get away with only a busted left front wheel.

“I dialled the number and then explained to the man on the line that I needed help. Twice he asked me, ‘What do you want me to do?’, before he put the phone down on me,” Ashen said.

Provincial Health Department spokesman DarrenFrancis said it was protocol that call-takers gather details from a caller and connect them to the appropriate agency. The department was investigating, Francis said.

“We view incidents of this nature in a very serious light, and all these cases are investigated by the communication centre management. Where found guilty, the call-takers are disciplined according to the department’s disciplinary code,” said Francis.

Ashen said he drove for another 10 minutes - now with the rim of his tyre scraping the road - and dialled the number again before a woman transferred his call to the city’s Metro Police.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

The incident now also brings into sharp focus the issue of having a single emergency call number, as currently there is no number in South Africa that is similar to the “911” number in the United States.

In the Cape province, emergency numbers include the city’s 107 public emergency number, 10111 for the police’s visible policing division, Crime Stop at 08600 10111 and 10177 for an ambulance.

Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said there were talks among departments about consolidating the numbers.

“Having all the numbers does become confusing. I can’t say how far along the talks are, but talks always lead to formalisation,” Plato said.

DIAL 112

James-Brent Styan, spokesman for Anton Bredell, the MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, said Western Cape residents should call 112 for any emergency.

“The number works like 911. When people dial it, their calls will get transferred to the appropriate service,” Styan said.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the city was engaging with Airports Company South Africa to contract additional law enforcement staff linked to Cape Town International Airport following a spate of incidents.

Having earned the dubious title of “Hell Run” after a series of incidents involving the stoning of vehicles and the placement of rocks and concrete slabs in the road to puncture drivers’ tyres, the N2 has accounted for many near-death experiences.

Police spokesman André Traut said the N2 highway was policed by the Western Cape Flying Squad, with assistance from police patrols from local stations.

Cape Times

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