Minister Aaron Motsoaledi Hailed a Hero After Saving a Sick Man on a Plane, Passenger Describes What Happened

• Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs and a former medical doctor, used his medical training to save a young man's life during a FlySafair flight
• He responded to the commotion at the back of the plane where a man in his 30s was unconscious due to low blood sugar
• Passengers on the plane, including Ndzipho Thembani Kalipa, praised Motsoaledi's heroic actions and his commitment to his oath of office

JOHANNESBURG - The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, showed that you cannot forget your doctor training.

Minister of Home Affairs' quick thinking helps save a man

The minister, who was a practising medical doctor, was instrumental in saving a man's life on a plane from East London to Johannesburg.

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Speaking to TimesLIVE, the minister said he was sitting in the front of a FlySafair flight when he heard noises at the back of the plane. Motsoaledi was sleeping when he was jolted awake by the commotion.

He said the airline staff was looking for someone to help a young man in his 30s who was unconscious due to low blood sugar. The flight attendants struggled to give him a sugar solution.

Motsoaledi approached the attendants to help because he used to be a medical doctor, but they wanted official documentation. He told them he used to practice medicine, but they would not believe him until someone vouched for him.

The minister was eventually allowed to help the man, and he used his medical training to help.

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“I rubbed the glucose powder on the tongue, and it was immediately absorbed. That’s the training from back when there was no technical training, you relied on clinical argument and judgment. There’s no equipment on the plane. You rely on what you know," said Motsoaledi.

Passenger recalls seeing Minister of Home Affairs help save someone's life

One of the passengers on the plane, Ndzipho Thembani Kalipa, exclusively told Briefly News that nothing was amiss when all the passengers boarded the plane on Monday night.

Kalipa says he was seated behind the young man who fell ill on the plane and does not know his identity. He explained that another individual had already tried to assist before Motsoaledi came to help the sick man.

"I saw one fellow that tried to assist, and later Dr Aaron Motsoaledi stood up from his seat to go and make observations and started assisting the sick passenger," said Kalipa.

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Kalipa said after Motsoaledi started helping, another doctor joined him to help the passenger. He explained that the doctors attended to the sick passenger for about 45 minutes.

He added that there was no panic on the plane because there was help.

"Most of the passengers were not panicking because Motsoaledi was there assisting and resuscitating the sick patient," said Kalipa.

Kalipa showed gratitude to the minister and the unknown doctor on social media. He explained to Briefly News that after the man was in the clear, he spoke to the other passengers about appreciating what the minister did because he understood his oath of office.

"I felt that this is very heroic patriotism on the part of Dr Motsoaledi," said Kalipa.

South Africans react to Dr Aaron Motsoaledi's heroic act

@Archiezab1 said:

"Dr Motsoaledi and Dr Pandor are the only reputable ministers we have so far."

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@paddiclay said:

"Nice to know he still remembers medical oaths and ethics. Minister’s ones... maybe not so much."

@LindaMtimkulu said:

"We have a great minister there❤"

@GeneilHowell said:

"Well done, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, this is the type of leadership I admire, not forgetting where one comes from is what connects us to our community. Salute doc ❤️"

“Keep it up, minister”: SA shows gratitude to Aaron Motsoaledi for getting illegal immigrants arrested

Briefly News previously reported that Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has committed to making sure illegal immigrants do not make their way into the country by setting up roadblocks along the Beitbridge Border Post in Musina, Limpopo.

Motsoaledi stated that the roadblocks yielded close to 200 arrests of illegal immigrants who were scheduled to be sent back home.

“This morning, already 179 of them were found at the border, and they were turned back," said Motsoaledi.

Source: Briefly News