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Cape Town - Parliament's Select Committee on Social Services has condemned the increasing attacks on emergency medical service (EMS) personnel while they are on duty.
This is following the death of Faigon Wildschut, 8, who died on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the ambulance he had been travelling in was stoned, forced off the road and ambushed by robbers near Borchards Quarry.
"It is deeply saddening that as a result of these awful attacks, an 8-year-old boy died following an attack on an ambulance transporting him to hospital."
READ: 'He was all I had' - mom of boy who died after ambulance ambush
Chairperson of the committee Cathy Dlamini said there had been more than 30 attacks on EMS personnel in the Western Cape.
"The full might of the law must be applied to the thugs that continue to terrorise communities and EMS personnel," she said.
Dlamini said communities needed to work with the police in the fight against crime.
On Thursday, the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa) demanded that an emergency plan be set up to help protect its members in the Western Cape from ongoing attacks, warning that it could withdraw its services.
READ: Threat to withdraw emergency services over attacks in Western Cape
The union said it will write to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to inform him of its intention to withdraw the services of its members in the Western Cape should the safety of their members not be dealt with.
Hospersa general secretary Noel Desfontaines said in a statement that withdrawing its members' services would hopefully put pressure on the government to address attacks on EMS which hamper workers from providing medical attention to those who need it.
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