Online Reporter
Ronald Mpofu, [email protected]
A PLUMTREE Town Council ambulance was stolen in the early hours of Monday morning and later found badly damaged in a rollover accident at Marula’s Wilfred Hope Farm, plunging the town into a critical healthcare transport crisis.
The vehicle, a silver Toyota Baby Quantum, was taken at approximately 3 a.m. from its regular overnight parking spot at Dingumuzi Clinic, where it is stationed to await emergency calls. It was discovered roughly two hours later, lying upside down, by villagers at Wilfred’s Hope Farm in Marula’s Ward 11, who reported hearing disturbing noises in the pre-dawn darkness.
According to residents, the kombi appeared to have been travelling towards the Plumtree–Bulawayo Road when the driver lost control. The accident occurred just one kilometre before the junction with the main tarred R1 road, some 33 kilometres from Plumtree. No one was found at the scene, suggesting the perpetrator(s) may fled on foot.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Plumtree is investigating the matter, but no suspects have yet been arrested.
In an official statement, Plumtree Town Council confirmed the theft and subsequent accident, announcing a complete suspension of its ambulance services.
“The general public is advised that the Council ambulance was stolen in the early hours of Monday, 8 June 2026. The vehicle has since been located. However, during the period when it was unlawfully taken, it was involved in a road traffic accident and sustained extensive damage,” the statement read. “As a result, ambulance services will be unavailable while we assess the required repairs to restore it or consider sourcing an alternative one.”
The Council added, “Council regrets any inconvenience this may cause. Members of the public requiring emergency medical transport services are encouraged to make alternative arrangements during this period.”
While the investigation will rightfully focus on identifying and prosecuting the individual responsible for this reckless theft, the incident cannot be dismissed merely as a criminal act. It represents a severe, self-inflicted wound on a community already likely navigating resource scarcity.
The theft of an ambulance is not a victimless property crime. By targeting a vehicle specifically intended for life-saving interventions, the perpetrator has effectively disabled a critical arm of the local health system. The Council’s admission that residents must now “make alternative arrangements” for emergency transport is stark.
In a rural setting like Plumtree, where private ambulances are often unaffordable or geographically distant, this suspension directly translates to an increased risk of mortality from time-sensitive emergencies such as obstetric complications, road traffic accidents, or acute cardiac events.
