A routine emergency call along the R34 turned into a four-hour ordeal for a KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services team after armed suspects allegedly ambushed, robbed and kidnapped the paramedics.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health confirmed that the incident occurred on Sunday, 26 July 2026, after the crew responded to a call for assistance at Nkwalini Store.
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Instead of finding a patient, the paramedics were confronted by armed men who held them at gunpoint and robbed them of their personal belongings.
The suspects then forced the paramedics to remain inside the emergency vehicle for approximately four hours, directing them from one location to another. During the ordeal, the group reportedly stopped at least twice at taverns, where the suspects used their own bank cards to purchase alcohol while continuing to threaten the EMS crew.
Although the paramedics escaped without physical injuries, the Department said the psychological impact of the incident should not be underestimated.
Condemning the attack, the Department stated, “It is a sad indictment on our society that we are the only community who would call upon public help, only to abuse and rob the very people deployed to save us. In any other situation, including war, emergency workers are protected and revered so they can carry out their life-saving duties without fear or favour.”
According to the Department, the attack is not an isolated incident but forms part of a persistent threat facing EMS personnel across KwaZulu-Natal, where demand for emergency services already exceeds the available capacity.
“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. It is high time that we as communities say: enough is enough. Surely, someone knows who committed this brutal act. We encourage anyone with information to come forward and report these criminals to the nearest police station so they can face the full might of the law,” the Department stressed.
Furthermore, private emergency medical personnel operating in the region said ambulances are attractive targets because of the medication and specialised equipment they carry.
Ziyaad Warasally of ER24 said ambulances are frequently targeted for equipment and medication, particularly morphine.
Of particular concern is the use of false emergency calls to lure crews into vulnerable situations.
“While this type of crime is not that popular in the northern KZN area, there have been incidents where paramedics are busy with a patient in their ambulance, turn around and see an individual with a weapon demanding that you cooperate with them,” he said.
In addition, Charles Steyn of Magenta EMS, who said he had experienced similar incidents on three occasions, explained that paramedics are widely known to be largely defenceless when responding to emergencies.
“As paramedics are only allowed to have pepper spray to defend themselves, it is known that we are unarmed, which makes us soft targets. The sad thing is, we don’t know until we arrive at a scene if it is an actual call for assistance, or a planned robbery, and pepper spray cannot do much in a situation like that,” he noted.
“When looking at the equipment, a decent second-hand defibrillator will cost just over R80 000, while a new top-of-the-range one is approximately R300 000, which means, if the suspects do manage to get away with the equipment, they can secure themselves quite a bit of money.”
Furthermore, attacks involving false emergency calls place both paramedics and the public at risk.
When paramedics are deliberately lured into dangerous situations, the consequences can extend beyond the crews involved. Additional precautions, including police escorts and safety checks, may delay emergency teams attempting to reach patients who urgently need assistance.
With no arrests announced at the time of publication, the Department appealed to anyone who could help identify those responsible to provide the information to the nearest police station.
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