Man held up by snake on MTN tower
Medics rescue man stuck at top of 18-metre tower in Richards Bay.
IT was no fairy tale when MTN Radio Transmission Engineer, Themba Sithole was held captive at the top of a tower in Richards Bay with a snake dominating the ladder.
Netcare 911 medics were called out to help the man down the 18-metre tower yesterday near the port control centre in Meerensee.
Netcare Operations Manager Richard Schouten used emergency rope rescue equipment to climb up the tower from the outside and help Sithole abseil down.
After the successful operation, Schouten then descended the ladder inside the tower to carefully guide the snake down while fellow medic Michelle Swart held a sack at the exit.
The nonvenomous one-metre long brown house snake finally made its way out and was caught by Schouten and Swart.
Schouten released the snake in the greenbelt nearby.
‘I have climbed thousands of towers, but this has never happened to me,’ said a relieved Sithole after the ordeal.
‘I never had a problem with climbing, but I think now I will!
‘I want to thank these wonderful medics for helping me.’
