She and her staff would work hard to deal with road accidents and drownings.
“This is about us as the department ensuring that people receive well-deserved services during this time.”
Turning to the initiation season that has claimed 17 lives, Gomba said they were facing a welter of queries.
“We spent money preparing for it. One lost child is one too many.
“Initiates who die after being circumcised, their iingcibi and amakhankatha must be charged with homicide.”
Brigadier Miranda Mills, speaking on behalf of provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga, said an increase in crime over the festive period had become the norm.
Though their festive season operations plan was confidential, she did outline five ways to combat crime — intelligence, prevention, detection, combat and communication.
“We will be out there in full force but we ask the public to assist by taking responsibility for their actions, to be wise about how they spend their money, and how they deal with family affairs and relationships.”
EMS operations manager Dominic Francis said emergency vehicles would be dispatched to hotspots on the N2 and R61.
In BCM, vehicles would be stationed at Kwelerha, Berlin, Kei Bridge and Peddie and Tsolo junctions, and at Mbhashe.
BCM speaker Alfred Mtsi said lifeguards, municipal cops and sea rescue officials were geared up for the influx of holidaymakers.
Don’t be a festive season statistic, urges MEC
Image: FILE
Enjoy the festive season, but do not be irresponsible and become an injury or death statistic, health MEC Sindiswa Gomba urged at the launch of the 2019 provincial festive season readiness programme in East London on Tuesday.
She called on health workers, including the emergency medical services, to put on hold any grievances and to focus on serving the people.
She said EMS workers in the OR Tambo region recently embarked on a protest where they would go to work, but not in uniform, saying their kit was old and worn.
The MEC said those issues would be attended to when the season was over.
Gomba also fielded calls at the shared contact centre which receives more than 5,000 calls a day.
She said ambulances, rescue services and three helicopters would be dispatched to hotspots across the province, such as on the N2 and R61 roads.
There will be ambulances stationed at the Esplanade along the East London beachfront during the season.
“It’s not nice when the festive season statistics come in January,” Gomba said.
Six die on Eastern Cape roads, bus accident partly closes N2
She and her staff would work hard to deal with road accidents and drownings.
“This is about us as the department ensuring that people receive well-deserved services during this time.”
Turning to the initiation season that has claimed 17 lives, Gomba said they were facing a welter of queries.
“We spent money preparing for it. One lost child is one too many.
“Initiates who die after being circumcised, their iingcibi and amakhankatha must be charged with homicide.”
Brigadier Miranda Mills, speaking on behalf of provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga, said an increase in crime over the festive period had become the norm.
Though their festive season operations plan was confidential, she did outline five ways to combat crime — intelligence, prevention, detection, combat and communication.
“We will be out there in full force but we ask the public to assist by taking responsibility for their actions, to be wise about how they spend their money, and how they deal with family affairs and relationships.”
EMS operations manager Dominic Francis said emergency vehicles would be dispatched to hotspots on the N2 and R61.
In BCM, vehicles would be stationed at Kwelerha, Berlin, Kei Bridge and Peddie and Tsolo junctions, and at Mbhashe.
BCM speaker Alfred Mtsi said lifeguards, municipal cops and sea rescue officials were geared up for the influx of holidaymakers.
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