KZN Transport MEC Duma misses ALS Paramedics apology deadline after disparaging remarks

KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma has failed to apologise for disparaging public comments he made about ALS Paramedics at the scene of last week’s fatal R102 accident, in which at least 11 people lost their lives.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the KZN Legislature accused Duma of making “reckless” and misleading statements about a private ambulance provider.

ALS Paramedics, formally demanded a public retraction and apology through its lawyers by Monday, February 2. However by Tuesday morning, no apology had been received.

It had said that if no retraction or apology was made across all media platforms, it may seek court action, including claims for damages in both his official and personal capacities.

Speaking at the crash scene, Duma alleged that private ALS ambulances were “bulldozing” accident scenes, behaving insensitively, and refusing to assist patients without medical aid, even in life-threatening circumstances. He stated that this was why the provincial government preferred relying on ambulances dispatched by the Department of Health.

“If you don’t have medical aid, they are not going to assist you. If it means that you are dying, if it means that they could still save you,” Duma said, adding that state teams were “qualified” and “stronger”.

DA’s KZN Health spokesperson, Dr Imran Keeka MPL, has strongly rejected these claims, warning that they ignore the dire realities of emergency medical services in the province.

Keeka said Duma’s remarks were made without acknowledging that private ambulance services often arrive at accident scenes long before state EMS.

“Provincial EMS often arrive long after private service providers begin treating patients,” Keeka said, adding that in some rural areas, Priority One response times stretch between seven and ten hours, if ambulances arrive at all.

Keeka also questioned whether Duma himself arrived on the scene before state ambulances, stating that the MEC was in a position to clarify this. He noted that private providers regularly transport patients without medical aid to public hospitals pro deo, a contribution that should be welcomed rather than attacked.

ALS Paramedics, through their attorneys,  issued a detailed letter of demand accusing Duma of making “false, vexatious, malicious and defamatory” statements on national television and social media.

According to the legal correspondence, ALS Paramedics attended the Isipingo accident on January 29 and assisted four patients, transporting two, both without medical aid to a public hospital.

The letter directly disputes Duma’s claim that ALS Paramedics refused care to uninsured patients and states that provincial EMRS ambulances only arrived approximately an hour after ALS was already on the scene.

The lawyers further allege that all provincial EMRS vehicles that responded to the crash were operating unlawfully, with expired or missing licence discs, in contravention of the National Health Act and EMS Regulations. The letter lists multiple state vehicles with licences expired as far back as 2022 or not displayed at all, and claims EMRS staff lacked basic equipment and medication, requesting assistance from ALS on the scene.

“These facts make the MEC’s assertion that EMRS provides a ‘stronger’ service not only false, but potentially dangerous to the public,” the attorneys argue, warning that such statements could lead people to delay seeking help from capable emergency providers.

The legal letter also accuses Duma of executive overreach, stating that he acted outside his constitutionally defined portfolio by making determinations about healthcare services, clinical conduct, and alleged billing practices, matters that fall under the Department of Health.

Keeka echoed this concern, noting that Duma should also be aware that his own department’s licence renewal fees contribute to state ambulances operating illegally, as the Department of Health cannot afford the costs. While the DA does not argue that fees should be waived, it has questioned whether ambulances that arrived at the R102 scene were legally licensed.

“The state cannot cope alone,” Keeka said. “Public-private partnerships are essential, and this is already being recognised by the Department of Health. Public figures of MEC Duma’s stature should engage with these realities rather than making reckless statements that invite legal consequences.”

The KZN Transport department has been approached for comment. 

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