Paramedic raped on call-out

A woman paramedic was gang-raped by three armed men when she went to rescue an injured toddler this weekend.

The paramedic, employed by Johannesburg Emergency Services, and her female colleague, were dragged into bushes near the toddler's home in Durban Deep, west of the city on Friday night, and their ambulance was stolen.

Police spokeswoman Superintendent Noxolo Kweza said: "The two paramedics were called to Durban Deep in Roodepoort after a mother reported that her child was burnt by hot water."

Kweza said the paramedics met the mother and two men outside the house and were led inside to attend to the child. While they were attending to the toddler, three armed men "threatened the two men outside the house who ran away to get help".

She said that while the mother remained in the house with her child, the three attackers dragged the paramedics outside and into nearby bushes where one of the women was raped.

The two men who ran away alerted police and shortly afterwards returned to the house with officers from the Roodepoort SAPS, but by then the women's attackers had fled.

Johannesburg EMS spokeswoman Nana Radebe said that the two women were "too traumatised to talk" after their ordeal.

"You'd think that when you are in an ambulance, people would see you as a life saver and they wouldn't harm you" she said.

Radebe said the city was considering additional safety measures for its staff, but would not reveal what those might be.

"The city values its employees and condemns savage attacks on staff that have dedicated their lives to save others," she said.

A case of rape and attempted rape was opened. The ambulance was later recovered.

Although Radebe said that the attack was an "isolated case", paramedics are no strangers to being injury and crime while on duty.

On Saturday, Netcare 911 spokesman and paramedic Chris Botha was knocked down by a tow truck as he was trying to cut an accident victim out of a vehicle in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

"We have to be very cautious when going into certain areas because we know that there is a possibility that criminal elements may be lurking," he said.

"There are also dangers associated with treating a patient, whom bystanders don't want to be treated, so then paramedics are threatened. But we never say no. We go out and treat patients".

ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks said: "Often when we feel threatened that we could be hijacked in a particular area, we then either ask for a police escort or go in and get the patient, and we treat the patient out of the volatile area, or even in a police station." he said.

Dr Cleeve Robertson, head of Emergency Medical Services in the Western Cape, said: "You are isolated, two people in middle of nowhere responding to anyone including criminals that are sick or injured. You have to trust society.

"Hopefully the uniforms and red lights send the right messages, but it is a risky business."