A BASIC Life Support paramedic, Vincent Buthelezi (35) came under attack from gunmen while driving along the P230 near Nkune on Saturday evening.
He was off duty at the time of the incident.
It is believed that none of his valuables, including his cellphone, were removed from his vehicle.
Circumstances around the incident are the subject of a police investigation.
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and Head of Department Dr Sibongile Zungu have sent their deepest condolences to Buthelezi’s family.
Buthelezi had been with the Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) since 2007.
A memorial service will be held in eShowe later this week.
The incident comes barely a week after an ambulance with patients on board was hijacked in Umbumbulu, south of Durban.
Tragedy
Dr Dhlomo has condemned the incident, describing it as a ‘tragedy’.
He said that attacks on paramedics puts a strain on the Department’s ability to fulfil its mandate of saving lives.
He has called on members of the community to protect paramedics and create an environment that is conducive to their safety in order to ensure that they operate optimally.
‘The festive season is usually a testing time for EMRS paramedics.
‘Right now we are finalising plans for our Alpha Operation which includes the placement of paramedics at strategic points known to be accident hotspots.
‘The increasing attacks put the lives of these committed health workers at risk and would eventually negatively impact on our endeavours to improve response times,’ says Dhlomo.
