A dom skelm het lekker geskrik when he allegedly tried to steal electric cables during load shedding but caught fire when the power came back on.
The shocking incident on Monday evening took place on an open field along St Vincent Drive in Belhar, where he allegedly tried to cut cables coming from the electric box to a light pole.
The 54-year-old, whose name is known to the Daily Voice, is being treated in hospital under police custody.
According to residents, there had been load shedding between 6pm and 8pm on Monday when they suddenly heard a loud bang.
“Everyone was kwaad because the krag was off until the early hours of Tuesday morning [due to his actions],” said resident, Dylan Pieters.
He added that paramedics had to cut the man’s clothes off his body and wrap him in a space blanket as he was badly burnt.
“It was during load shedding and he was busy cutting the cables.
“When the electricity came back on, he was still cutting the last wire in the cable; it bombed and that was when he caught fire,” Dylan explained.
“He ran onto the field but the community was after him.
“They doused the fire and brought him back. That was when he collapsed on a broken chair found on the field.
“He was burned badly, his pants melted onto him. We could see the skin was off and the pink was showing.
“He was just lying for a while and didn’t move. We thought he was dead but then he moved his leg every now and again showing signs of life.”
The man’s wife Pauline Pietersen said that their hokkie was demolished by angry residents.
“I was by my mom when I heard the news. I left him at home and he said he was going to [his friend] ‘Krake’,” she told the Daily Voice.
“I heard he was accompanied by two people but I don’t know who.
“He is out of trauma and in a ward, they are monitoring his heart.”
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk confirmed that the man and another suspect were arrested for alleged cable theft.
“We can confirm that a damage to essential infrastructure case docket was opened,” Van Wyk added.
“The docket is transferred to the Infrastructure Unit for further investigation.”
marsha.dean@inl.co.za