An attack on an EMS vehicle near Macassar over the weekend makes up 90 such incidents in nearly a year.
Western Cape SAPS confirmed the incident that occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, 15 March, noting that an ambulance was travelling along the N2 near Macassar to transport a patient to a hospital. Spokesperson, Constable Ndakhe Gwala, said reports suggest that at around 00:30, the ambulance was near a filling station when a rock landed on the vehicle.
“The rock landed on the bonnet and went through the windscreen of the motor vehicle,” said Gwala, adding that no injuries were reported.
The Western Cape Health and Wellness Department confirmed that the patient and staff were safe but noted that they were traumatised by the incident.
“Our EMS staff are traumatised by the senseless incident and required hospital assessment; they have since been discharged,” read the department’s statement.
A case of malicious property damage was opened with Macassar police.
The department said this incident is part of a worrying trend of EMS personnel coming under attack. From April 2025 to date, 90 safety-related incidents have been reported.
“These include 23 stoning incidents, 23 physical threats, 12 robberies, 9 cases of verbal abuse, 8 cases of thefts, 8 verbal threats and 7 assaults.”
The department and Health and Wellness MEC Mireille Wenger condemned the incidents, noting that they would work closely with police to investigate the latest attack.
Wenger said attacks on healthcare workers are unacceptable and place lives at risk. She added that it delays care for patients in need of emergency medical assistance, not only if they are in the vehicle, but also if the ambulance is en route to assist.
“Our emergency services exist to help people in their most vulnerable moments… Our healthcare workers dedicate their lives to serving communities and saving lives. They must never become targets while doing that work. These attacks undermine emergency care for everyone and cannot be tolerated. We call on communities to stand with us in protecting the people who respond when lives are on the line,” said Wenger.
The department reiterated the appeal to the public to help keep EMS staff safe.
“We all have a role to play in keeping them and our patients safe, so they can continue saving lives.”
Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, also condemned the incident, saying that there must be consequences for those responsible.
“Emergency responders should never have to fear being attacked simply for doing their jobs. Very often when police then follow up and investigate, ‘no one knows’ who stoned them… If we allow attacks on emergency services to become normalised, we undermine the very systems meant to protect and assist our communities.”
