By Buziwe Nocuze
Residents of the Siqalo informal settlement near Mitchells Plain in Cape Town who found an injured man near their homes on Sunday night are upset with the police and paramedics for failing to respond and accused them of not doing their jobs.
Residents found the badly hurt man in the bushes near their shacks at around 8pm. He had serious head wounds.
An anonymous resident said they quickly called the Phillipi police station and the Emergency Management Services paramedics for help.
“The man had been attacked and left for dead, but we found him in time,” the resident said.
However, calls to the police station went unanswered.
“We tried calling the police several times, but no one picked up.”
There was no help from the paramedics either.
“When we called the paramedics, they told us to move the injured man to the roadside ourselves,” the resident said.
Another resident, Siyabonga Mlakalaka, said they had to leave the injured man outside their homes.
“We made a fire to keep him warm and gave him food, hoping the paramedics would change their minds and come,” Mlakalaka said.
The injured man stayed outside the entire night.
“It’s a miracle he survived with such serious injuries. The attackers had beaten him badly, focusing on injuring his joints so he couldn’t walk. We told all this to the paramedic on the phone,” Mlakalaka said.
By Monday at 1pm, the man was still waiting for help.
“We gave him blankets and porridge in the morning while continuing to call the paramedics. He could have died after waiting so long for assistance.”
The ambulance finally arrived on Monday afternoon.
“We need better ways to reach the police,” Mlakalaka said.
“We’re asking the paramedics and police to take their jobs seriously. They chose these jobs, and no one forced them. They should stop expecting us to do their work.
“Some of us have cars, but we were afraid to take the man to the hospital, fearing we might get into trouble for something we don’t know about.”
SAPS Western Cape spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said people can call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111 if their calls to a police station go unanswered.
Scrolla.Africa contacted the Cape Town Emergency Management Services spokesperson but had not received a comment before publication.
Pictured above: Emergency room.
Source: Stock
