By Lwazi Dlamini
After two Premier League games had to be abandoned due to the absence of ambulances, the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) has reached an agreement with the Government Department of Emergency Services.
In a statement released by PLE CEO Kenneth Makhanya on Wednesday, the PLE acknowledged that even though there is no provision in the current Rules and Regulations that prohibits the continuation of a football match without a visible ambulance at the stadium, the organisation will at all times endeavour to secure ambulance services.
“It is in this spirit that the PLE engaged the Department of Emergency Services to provide ambulance services according to the PLE fixtures each week. The Department of Emergency Services has agreed to assist the PLE with ambulances as best as they can and in this regard have established a communication forum between the PLE office and themselves,” Makhanya said.
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He stressed that given that the availability of emergency medical services ambulances in the country is insufficient to meet the demands for the PLE events and at the same time simultaneously service the nation, the PLE will ensure at all times ambulance services are available.
“Where an effort to secure an ambulance has been made by the PLE Secretariat and such an effort fails due to the non-availability of this scarce national resource, the PLE game will proceed and there will be no just reason to abandon the PLE games. Each team should ensure that it has a vehicle available to evacuate any of its members that are referred to the hospital by the doctors at the stadium. Any team that refuses to play shall be deemed to have caused the abandonment of the game,” Makhanya added.
