KwaZulu-Natal Health emergency services employees, responding to a call for help, were hijacked at gunpoint and forced to drive to taverns and buy alcohol for their attackers.
The KZN Department of Health said it was outraged and deeply disturbed by the incident that occurred at the weekend at Nkwalini Store on the R34 in northern KZN.
“While responding to a call for help, our staff were held at gunpoint, robbed of their personal belongings, and forced to drive to at least two taverns to purchase alcohol using their bank cards. They were held captive for four hours before being released. They were not physically assaulted, but the psychological trauma inflicted is immeasurable.”
The department said the attack was not an isolated incident as crimes against EMS employees had become a troubling pattern in KZN.
“Our employees answer the call to assist those in dire need, yet they are increasingly being turned into targets of exploitation and criminality. This is unacceptable. We condemn this brutality in the strongest possible terms. It is a sad indictment on our society that we are the only communities who would call upon public help only to abuse and rob the very people deployed to save us. In any other situations including war, emergency workers are protected and revered so they can carry out their life-saving duties without fear or favour. The matter has been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and we trust that the law will take its course and make an example of these culprits.”
The department encouraged anyone with information to come forward and make a report to the police.
