- Security guards refused ambulance access to Frontier Hospital.
- Pregnant woman left waiting for 30 minutes while in distress.
- Eastern Cape health department has apologised and is investigating.
A pregnant woman says she was left waiting for up to 30 minutes at the entrance of the Frontier Hospital in Komani in the Eastern Cape after security guards allegedly refused to open the gate for the ambulance carrying her – while private cars and even a pizza delivery scooter were allowed through.
The Eastern Cape Department of Health has apologised to the patient and says it is investigating the incident.
Thornhill resident Lerato Mzwakali, who is six months pregnant, told Health-e News she was being rushed from the local Thornhill clinic to see a specialist last Wednesday after nurses warned she could lose her unborn child if she did not get urgent care.
In video footage seen by Health-e News and recorded by Mzwakali’s boyfriend at the time, the ambulance can be seen waiting outside the hospital entrance while security guards remain at the gate.
“I was in deep, hurtful pain.”
“We don’t know why they didn’t want to open the gate because they kept on saying ‘ask the driver’ when we asked them why they don’t want to let us in. The ambulance stayed there for 25 to 30 minutes,” says Mzwakali.
Private vehicles allowed through
What angered Mzwakali most was watching the gate open for others while her ambulance waited with an emergency patient inside.
“What surprises me is that they opened for private cars and other transports, the Debonairs Pizza’s scooter, but they did not want to let the ambulance in at that time because it’s carrying a patient inside that requires emergency attention,” she says.
Mzwakali says the ambulance had fetched her from a local clinic and it took about 15 minutes to get to Thornhill, before heading to Frontier Hospital.
“I thought I’d get a miscarriage because the nurses told me I need to see a specialist in the situation I’m in. They said if I don’t make it in time I might lose my child.”
When she finally gained entry, Mzwakali says she developed complications but was stabilised by doctors.
“I was discharged the same day. I was given medication and told to go home. I am currently at home and I believe the doctor helped me,” she says.
Health Department launches investigation
Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Siyanda Manana says there was no strike by security guards at the hospital. Manana says hospital management met with both EMS and the security company following the incident.
“We are not aware that the security guards are on strike. That has not been brought to our attention. For security guards to bar an ambulance from entering, that is something very, very unfortunate that we are going to investigate,” Manana told Health-e News.
“We have called the management of EMS as well as the management of the security company to get to the bottom of the problem, so that an incident of this nature does not recur again. We apologise to the patients for the incident, and we assure them that it’s not going to happen again.”
After the meeting, Manana said there had been an earlier altercation at the gate on the same day between the same EMS crew and security before the video was taken. “There was no strike action by the security guards. Earlier before the video was taken, there was an incident between the same EMS staff and the security guards in terms of accessing the gate.”
Manana says in an emergency, EMS crews must use their sirens at the gate to gain quicker access. “The matter is still being attended though as the patient was inconvenienced.”
Frontier Hospital is the main referral hospital for the Chris Hani District and serves thousands of patients from Komani, Thornhill and surrounding rural areas. The health facility has previously faced complaints about pressure on its services. In October 2025, local outlet Komani News reported allegations of staff shortages, overcrowding and lengthy waits for treatment at the hospital.
Health-e News reported earlier this month on broader problems affecting emergency medical services in the Eastern Cape, where patients described long waits for ambulances while vehicles in the provincial fleet remained grounded.
Meanwhile Mzwakali told Health-e News she has not experienced any further complications since the incident. She expects to deliver her baby at Frontier Hospital in November.
