Escaped parolee threatens suicide from rooftop
A distressed and handcuffed youth who threatened to jump to his death from the roof of a Karoo country hotel, first smoked a few cigarettes and spoke to his girlfriend.
Parolee Gubani Visagi, 26, was eventually persuaded by an unnamed police officer holding onto a fire brigade ladder to come down.
The escape and suicide drama on Monday shook the little farming town of Middelburg.
Visagie, a parolee out on bail for robbery, arrived at the department of correctional services at 7am to sign his bail conditions.
After officials picked up inconsistencies regarding his residential address, Visagie was not allowed to leave, and placed in handcuffs.
He requested permission to use the toilet, where he escaped through a window, and using a ladder gained access to the second floor of the Karoo Country Inn Hotel. He managed to climb onto the roof, from where he threatened to commit suicide.
Several police officers tried to negotiate with Visagie. His girlfriend was allowed to approach the building to try to persuade him to come down.
Visagie smoked some cigarettes which had been handed to him by the policeman who had climbed the fire brigade ladder.
After threatening to climb onto an aircon unit and jump to his death, the officer again climbed up the ladder and finally persuaded a visibly distressed Visagie to leave the roof with him. According to bystanders whom Visagie had talked to while on the roof, he said he was scared of returning to prison, and that he would sooner end his life.