Ambulance calls – choosing the right route
How South African mobile and ambulance emergency routes fit together, what to do when a call does not connect and how to give a useful location.
Use the directory below rather than guessing
The mobile emergency route and the dedicated ambulance route are both useful parts of South Africa's emergency system. The best choice can depend on the phone network, location and incident. The directory below keeps the current options together; if one route cannot connect, try the other and do not drive an unstable person yourself.
Make your location easy to find
- 10177Emergency Medical Services
- 10111South African Police Service
- 112Universal Emergency (mobile)
- 0800 029 999SADAG Mental Health Crisis Line
- 0861 554 911Poisons Information Helpline
- Give a street address and a visible landmark, not only a neighbourhood name.
- Say which entrance, floor, unit or gate responders should use.
- Share a callback number and keep your phone charged and nearby.
- If you are on a road, give the direction of travel and the nearest landmark.
If the first call fails
- Try the other route in the emergency directory.
- Ask someone nearby to call while you stay with the patient.
- Do not repeatedly hang up if the call-taker is giving instructions.
- Use the nearest safe public place or security point as a responder meeting point.
Do not wait for a diagnosis
Common questions
- Should I call the mobile or ambulance emergency route?
- Use the route in the emergency directory that matches your phone and situation. If a call does not connect, try the alternative and give your location first.
- Can I drive someone to hospital instead?
- If the person is unstable, unconscious, having breathing difficulty or showing stroke or severe allergic-reaction signs, an ambulance is safer because help can start on the way.
Sources
- Road to Health book: health-service contacts and child health guidanceNational Department of Health, South Africa
- Basic life support and resuscitation guidelinesResuscitation Council of Southern Africa
Last reviewed 26 August 2026.