First aid in South Africa
Everything First Aid Angel offers for South Africa: free first aid guides, online courses, in-person training providers, first aid kits and the local emergency number.
Emergency number in South Africa: 10177
First aid in South Africa: what to know
Our guides follow the Australian (ANZCOR) guidelines. CPR is the same everywhere — 30 compressions to 2 breaths at 100–120 per minute, and use a defibrillator as soon as one arrives — but training in South Africa differs in a few places worth knowing.
- Guidelines
- Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa — ERC guidelines; the steps match ours except where noted here.
- Choking
- For a conscious adult who cannot cough, breathe or speak: up to 5 back blows between the shoulder blades, then up to 5 abdominal thrusts, alternating until the blockage clears. Our guides describe the Australian method (chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts).
- 10177 reaches ambulance services; 112 works from any mobile phone.
Training in South Africa
In-person first aid courses from education providers listed in our directory.
Online courses
Learn at your own pace and finish with a certificate of completion.
First aid kits
Kits available for UK & Ireland.
Local emergency details
Emergency numbers, languages and crisis lines for South Africa.
Learn, train and prepare in South Africa
Free guides to read now, local training, online courses, and the kit to have ready.
Free first aid guides
Kits and defibrillators
First Aid Angel never replaces emergency services. In an emergency call 10177 or your local emergency number first.