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The Department of Health in Limpopo is investigating an emergency medical services (EMS) official after she admitted to using an ambulance for personal use. The woman was filmed carrying alcohol on board the vehicle over the weekend.
The video went viral on social media on Saturday, after a resident recorded a confrontation with the official in which they accused her of "dropping alcohol off in a government vehicle", to which the woman responds: "Yes, what are you going to do about it?"
"There is no way I can't use this car for whatever I like," says the woman in question.
"As the department, we are seriously disappointed and quite disturbed with the way she has carried herself in the video. We have a zero-tolerance policy for misuse of state vehicles," provincial health spokesperson Neil Shikwambana told News24.
"We have been in contact with the employee and are currently doing an investigation in order for us to act accordingly."
Shikwambana told News24 that ambulances are commonly used to get refreshments while staff are on duty, however, to use vehicles for personal use is not permitted.
"Generally, EMS personnel would stop at a shop and get water or refreshments. Once the person goes out of their way to buy groceries, for example, then it is an issue."
Shikwambana could not confirm that alcohol was offloaded from the ambulance as the department is still investigating the matter.
