Officials nabbed for wire theft
2006-12-27 19:07
Johannesburg - Three Port Elizabeth hospital officials have been caught red-handed stealing copper wire, Eastern Cape Health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said on Wednesday.
They had since been suspended, he said. "We are busy preparing for their disciplinary hearing which should be early next year."
Their arrests, shortly before Christmas, followed a spate of copper thefts from the Dora Nginza hospital, said Kupelo.
However, they had not put a stop to the thefts with another copper line stolen over the weekend.
The thieves' reckless cutting of pipes endangered patients' lives as it disrupted the flow of oxygen to operating rooms, he said. "This makes the work of the doctors and nurses so much harder."
Kupelo said copper theft was especially rife during December. Last year, the hospital ran out of oxygen because of leaks caused by copper theft. "Patients had to be transferred to other hospitals, but luckily no one died, he said.
- SAPA