UPDATE: Police rescue man off hospital roof

WHITE RIVER – After more than thirty hours, the SAPS Tactical Response Unit (TRT) managed to successfully get the man down from the roof of one of Themba Hospital’s tallest buildings.

According to Capt Pieter Smit, at approximately 23:15 last night, the TRT and two negotiators secured a ladder from an adjoining building to the roof where the man lay sleeping.

“The police chopper circled the building three or four times with the spotlight and this woke the man up.

“He started hitting one of the police officers with a seven-metre steel cable. Fortunately, the officer was wearing protective gear,” Smit said.

Smit explained that another officer in the team shone a heavy light and sprayed pepper spray in the man’s eyes which made him stagger back a few steps.

“This gave the TRT ample time to climb onto the roof via the ladder and secure the man with handcuffs and cable ties around his ankles,” Smit said.

The helicopter then hovered on the roof and the man was put on board and brought back to ground level.

Smit said he was taken to a Themba Hospital ward to calm him down. From there, he will be transferred to Rob Ferreira hospital psychiatric unit for evaluation.

The task force from Tshwane was cancelled after the successful operation.

Man refuses to come down from hospital roof, May 5, 20:50

Local police have called in a task force from Pretoria to assist in rescuing the man off the roof of Themba Hospital.

The man went up to the roof  on Thursday at around 16:00 and refused to come down.

Attempts by local authorities to talk him down have been unsuccessful.

Earlier on Friday afternoon a police chopper was deployed, but the man remained on the roof.

He is believed to be just 20 years old.

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Members of the police, including provincial commissioner Lt Gen Zuma, health department officials, Bossies Community Justice’s (BCJ) Mr Danie Theron and hostage negotiators are at the scene.

According to sources at the scene, members of the man’s family have also tried talking him into coming down from the roof.

The man, who is not a patient of the hospital, allegedly ran past security yesterday afternoon and headed for one of the wards. He then climbed out of window onto the ledge and up the sewage pipe onto the roof.

From there, he managed to gain access to the roof of the tallest hospital building, where he has remained.

According to Theron, the roof is not accessible by conventional means.

“There is not much we can do, unfortunately. The special task force is on its way from Tshwane but will probably only arrive in a few hours,” he said.

A team of negotiators had no luck in persuading the man to come down. One of the negotiators, Capt Pieter Smit said the man had also kicked away the ladder which the fire department had placed between the two buildings.

Food and water have been given to the man. He is believed to be sleeping at present as there has been no noise or movement in the past hour or so.

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