Alleged Cable Thief Stuck in Ceiling at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, Mzansi is Fed Up: "Leave Him There"

• A suspected thief got himself stuck in the ceiling of the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital while allegedly trying to steal copper cables
• The Eastern Cape hospital is no stranger to cable theft and was left non-operational at the end of January
• South Africans are frustrated by the prevalence of cable theft in SA and suggested creative ways to punish the criminal

EASTERN CAPE - An alleged cable thief's attempt to steal copper cables from the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in the Eastern Cape has ended in embarrassment.

The would-be criminal got stuck in the hospital's ceiling and the facility's staff caught the entire ordeal on camera.

Cecilia Makiwane Hospital workers try freeing the cable thief

The video was posted on Twitter by @RONALDMASINDA and shows several hospital workers trying to get the man out of the damaged ceiling.

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At one point, one of the hospital workers angrily suggests that the man be pulled out of the ceiling by his private parts, a suggestion the alleged thief promptly protested against.

The hospital workers told the man to stop complaining because he was guilty of ruining the medical facility.

Cecelia Makiwane Hospital left non-operational because of cable theft

The hospital has had to contend with the effects of cable theft for some time, and it all came to a head at the end of January when the hospital was rendered non-operational.

Patients had to be moved to other facilities after unidentified thieves stole cables on Tuesday, 17 January, eNCA reported.

It isn't clear if the video of the alleged cable thief was of the January incident. Still, Provincial Health Department Spokesperson MK Ndamase said cable theft is a norm at the hospital.

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Ndamase added that the department was working on installing CCTV cameras and beefing up security at the facility.

South Africans have suggestions on how the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital workers can deal with the thief

Citizens are fed up with how prevalent cable theft is in South Africa and have suggested several creative ways the thief can be dealt with.

Here are some comments:

@Tshisi_Mawela suggested:

"Where's the pepper spray or fire extinguisher? Just spray it inside and he will come out within seconds."

@Krispowerpoint said:

"Close the ceiling, let him be a roof."

@TshilidziTuwan1 added:

"He's a saboteur and must be taken straight to jail."

@77streeters commented:

"Imagine the beating after the rescue."

Copper thieves endanger 24 patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath, SA says criminals are “heartless”

In another story, Briefly News reported that copper cable thieves put the lives of 24 patients at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital at risk when they stole essential piping on Monday, 19 December.

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The 10-metre copper pipe supplies oxygen to sections of the main intensive care unit (ICU), leaving patients with lower-than-normal levels. When clinicians noticed the drop in oxygen levels, they reported the matter to the department of infrastructure development.

According to TimesLIVE, the report led to the discovery that the pipe had been tampered with. Diepkloof police are investigating a case.

Source: Briefly News