Cape Town – Mew Way Road in Site C Khayelitsha has been declared a temporary red zone after Emergency Medical Services (EMS) members were attacked while on their way to pick up patients from the Khayelitsha Health Clinic.
EMS spokesperson Deanna Bessick said after 11am on Monday, three men had flagged down the vehicle and held the officials at gunpoint.
“Two of the suspects stood in front of the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle, and one suspect stood in front of the windscreen with a gun and began to threaten the officials. The suspects demanded that the officials hand them their wallets and cellphones.
“The male official, who was the driver of the vehicle, began to plead for his wallet after the officials handed it over to the suspects.
’’He begged the suspects to take the cash from his wallet and leave his wallet and identification document behind.
“He had withdrawn cash from the ATM not long before the incident occurred. One of the suspects slapped the male official in his face, threw his wallet on the road and they all fled from the scene,” Bessick said.
EMS director Shaheem de Vries urged the public to protect and support the officials.
“It is the most vulnerable who are the most affected by these attacks. We are calling on the community to work closely with us to eradicate this criminal behaviour,” De Vries said.
The EMS officials received counselling and were taking time off from work.
Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) chair Ndithini Tyhido strongly condemned the attack.
“It’s disgusting and it angers us that there are some criminals who find it fashionable to attack essential workers during this time of Covid-19.
’’The only people who suffer from such acts of hooliganism are the patients who need medical assistance. The people of Khayelitsha must stand up to this, the KDF will not stand for such,” he said.
Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111, or SMS Crime Line at 32211.
Cape Times