'There is no respect anymore' as ambulances come under attack in South Africa

Paramedic Papinki Lebelo waits for a police escort before responding to an emergency call-out in the Red Zone neighborhood of Philippi East in Cape Town, South Africa. Due to a rise in attacks on paramedics, large parts of the city are only accessible to ambulance crews when they have a police escort. This severely delays response times. (Tommy Trenchard for NPR)

It's 7:30 p.m. in the South African city of Cape Town. Paramedic Papinki Lebelo wears an expression of deep frustration as he waits in his ambulance outside the Philippi East police station. He's listening to reports of injuries, deaths and medical emergencies over the two-way radio. The vehicle's flashing red lights cast an eerie glow over nearby buildings and give the scene a sense of urgency.

But for now, his ambulance is going nowhere.