Ambulances pretoria 12

Photo: Yusuf Abramjee / Twitter

Watch: Ambulances petrol-bombed by thugs in Pretoria

It doesn’t get any lower than this: A cash reward is on offer for anyone who can provide information about the petrol-bombing of ambulances in Pretoria.

Ambulances pretoria 12

Photo: Yusuf Abramjee / Twitter

A fleet of ambulances in Pretoria were targeted by petty criminals on Friday, forcing Bestcare EMS to pursue a private investigation. A brief clip of the incident made its way online this weekend, showing the fiery extent of the damage.

Emergency services targeted over the weekend

The CCTV footage shows a shadowy figure approaching the back fence, just after 20:40 on 19 March. A bright object is thrown into the car-park in Mountain View, before bursting into flames. One of the ambulances catches fire, and then the blaze spreads to other vehicles.

The 15-second clip doesn’t reveal a great deal, apart from the mindless thuggery at play. Several attacks on paramedics have been reported in the past 12 months, and the war on our emergency services continues to escalate.

Watch: Ambulances petrol-bombed in Pretoria

Reward offered for information on Pretoria ambulances petrol-bombing

Bestcare EMS spokesperson Xander Loubser confirmed a number of details about the suspects, and also informed the public that there would be a cash reward for anyone who had any information about the attack on these ambulances.

“Two people threw what appeared to be home-made petrol bombs into our premises onto our emergency vehicles and ran off. Two of our ambulances were damaged. The company was working closely with private investigators to trace the perpetrators. The perpetrators were travelling in a white Renault Clio, and one of the bombs failed to explode.”

Paramedics also targeted by criminals

Two Emergency Medical Services (EMS) paramedics, a male and a female, were held up at gunpoint in Site C, Khayelitsha on Monday 12 October 2020. Two ER24 paramedics, as well as their vehicle, were met with hails of ammunition after a patient whipped out a paintball gun on Thursday 30 January 2020 in Durban.

Prior to that, a paramedic had to be hospitalised after an attack in Tokoza and two ambulances were decommissioned due to broken windows caused by members of the community in Reiger Park. Months before, two paramedics on patrol in the Matikwe area of Durban were subjected to a shocking ambush, where they were robbed and shot.