Hope dwindles for man washed into stormwater drain

A Chatsworth man is reeling after watching his friend being washed into an open stormwater drain.

Mechanic Vusi Mthembu said that he and his friend‚ Ntlanhla Mpako‚ 23‚ were en route to fix a car‚ when heavy rains delayed them near the Hare Krishna temple in Chatsworth in Durban on Sunday. He said there‚ they were accosted by a group of four men‚ one of whom had a gun and fired a shot.

The two men fled from the men and Mthembu managed to cross an area which had water gushing toward a "big pipe". He said‚ however‚ Mpako slipped and fell into the water and was washed into an open drain.

"That was the last time I saw my friend. I shouted calling for him and he was also crying for help. I couldn't help him‚" he said.

Mthembu said he ran to the police station a few metres away and alerted authorities.

He said they returned to the scene a short while later and despite efforts by the police search and rescue team‚ divers were unsuccessful because of the gushing water.

Rescue efforts continued on Monday.

Mpako's aunt‚ Kholeka Ndela‚ said while they wanted him to be found alive‚ they were not optimistic after looking at the drain and the gushing water.

“We need his body. We want his body‚ we lost hope‚” she said.