News24 reports that a KwaZulu-Natal paramedic was shot and killed while attending to a shooting victim in the Estcourt area in the early hours of Monday morning.
Phumzile Dlamini, 40, and her crewmate were ambushed at around 01:00 in the back of their ambulance while helping a patient who had been shot in the Mabhanoyini area. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane reported that Dlamini and her colleague had already picked up the patient, who had sustained a fractured leg, when they had to detour to the home of the wounded man. After securing him, they suddenly heard gunshots coming from outside. Simelane said Dlamini – an intermediate life support paramedic with 10-years' service who hailed from Greytown – was hit twice and died at the scene. Her crewmate sustained three gunshots and was rushed to hospital, where he remained in critical condition. None of the gunshots hit the two patients in the bullet-riddled ambulance. Simelane stated: “An incident like this is spine-chilling. It is barbaric, cowardly and completely shocking. It’s a strong signal that something has gone horribly wrong in our society when innocent first responders, whose core responsibility is to save lives by helping those in emergency situations, get attacked and murdered like this. It's outrageous.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kaveel Singh at News24
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