Public urged to comment on move to single emergency number
South Africa is one step closer to a single telephone number for all emergencies.
On Friday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet had approved the publication of the draft policy direction on phasing out the 10177, 10111, and 107 emergency numbers.
The draft policy will now be open for public consultation.
The numbers are currently used to contact ambulance, police and public emergency numbers.
According to the latest crime statistics released in August, contact crimes, which include murder, robbery, sexual offences and assault, increased by 2.6% between April to June 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
In May, the South African Police Service reported that it had arrested more than 19,000 suspects for gender-based violence and femicide, as well as crimes against children, over the past year.
Ntshavheni believes that a single number will relieve some of the stress faced by South Africans in an emergency.
“This will ensure that people under stress do not have to remember multiplicity of numbers when they require emergency services or have their calls routed inadequately.”
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