KZN records worst ambulance response times in South Africa, government figures show

KwaZulu‑Natal (KZN) recorded the slowest ambulance response times in South Africa, according to figures released by the Department of Health and revealed in a written parliamentary reply from Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.

How response times compared

The Department of Health figures show that only 28% of Priority 1 emergency calls in urban KZN were attended to within the national 30‑minute target during the 2025/26 financial year. In rural KZN, 44% of life‑threatening emergencies were reached within the 60‑minute target.

Nationally, 45% of Priority 1 emergencies in urban areas received an ambulance within 30 minutes, while 54% of rural emergencies were reached within 60 minutes.

Provincial performance

Limpopo recorded the best response times, with 98% of urban emergencies and 97% of rural emergencies attended to within the target times. Gauteng reached 55% of urban Priority 1 emergencies within 30 minutes and achieved a 94% rural response rate.

Ambulance availability and resource shortfalls

The Department reported that, as of May 21, 3,010 of the country’s 3,742 ambulances were operational. The remaining 732 ambulances were undergoing repairs or maintenance.

KwaZulu‑Natal again recorded the worst performance in ambulance availability, with only 248 of its 448 ambulances operational. By contrast, the Western Cape had the highest availability at 96%, followed by Gauteng at 87%.

Government response and planned measures

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi acknowledged capacity problems, saying EMS did not have sufficient resources to meet demand. He said assessments showed “the current EMS resources are inadequate to sufficiently meet the service requirements, particularly in rural and deep rural areas where an ageing fleet, long travelling distances, poor road infrastructure, and increased interfacility transfers place significant pressure on the existing fleet and personnel.”

To address shortfalls, Motsoaledi said more funding is needed for ambulances, recruitment and maintenance, and for building more EMS stations in rural districts. He outlined several measures being implemented to improve response times, including:

• establishing new EMS stations in high‑demand areas
• relocating ambulances based on demand
• recruiting additional staff where budgets allow
• improving fleet maintenance and upgrading emergency communication centres
• introducing better dispatch and vehicle tracking systems

The minister also confirmed that provinces were increasingly using telemedicine, rapid‑response units and public‑private partnerships to improve emergency care in remote areas. He said “smartphone technology and applications such as WhatsApp were already being used to support clinical decision‑making between ambulance crews, clinics, hospitals and specialists.”

Motsoaledi added that provinces make use of rapid‑response vehicles and other supplementary services, and that “public‑private partnerships are used to augment emergency medical response capacity during periods of high demand, major incidents, and when existing advanced life support resources are exhausted.”

What the figures show

The Department of Health data paints a picture of uneven emergency medical service performance across provinces, with KZN recording the lowest urban response rate and the fewest operational ambulances in absolute terms. The government has identified resourcing, fleet condition and rural access as core challenges and has outlined steps it says it is taking to improve EMS capacity.