KZN police divers recover 'murder weapon' after five hours of searching

Police divers scoured the depths of the vegetation-thick Umlazi River in Durban for five hours before emerging victorious. They had found what they were looking for: a knife allegedly used in a double murder.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Lt-Col Thulani Zwane said a 24-year-old man accused of stabbing two people in Madalala Village, Lamontville, last week, pointed out the area where the knife had been disposed of.

The man appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for the murders of two victims, aged 24 and 27, who suffered multiple stab wounds.

Police divers from Durban Search and Rescue along with Metro Police search and rescue officers were called out to find the knife believed to have been used in a double murder at the weekend and then thrown into the river from the overhead footbridge. 

"The suspect pointed out the area alongside Gwala Street where the knife was thrown," said Zwane.

A post on the police Facebook page said the divers "battled for five hours searching the river due to the extremely thick vegetation that obstructed their efforts".

Zwane said the knife was recovered from a depth of six metres and was handed to the investigating officer.