Durban - A Durban woman who tried to save a man from drowning in a canal in the Point area on Sunday says she searched for 30 minutes in a desperate attempt to rescue him but could not find him in time.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane confirmed on Sunday that Justin Hofman, 25, of Umkomaas, drowned in a 3m deep section of the canal on Sunday morning.
Charlene Murphy, who has a flat in The Quays block, said she heard a scream around 5.30am on Sunday and saw a man swimming in the canal when she looked out of the window.
“I saw someone swimming and I thought that was a bit silly, but I did not think anything was wrong.”
Murphy said when she heard the man scream again she realised he was in trouble and ran out of the building with a security guard to help.
“By the time we got to the canal, he had already gone under, so I took off my watch and I dived in to look for him. I was in the water for about half an hour searching for him, but I could not find him.
“It is so sad. I wonder whether I would have been able to save him if I reacted after the first scream, but we get people who scream or shout outside sometimes.”
Zwane said in a statement on Sunday that police divers from Durban and Port Shepstone search and rescue were called out to the canals below The Quays, which is near uShaka Marine World.
Police said it was believed that Hoffman had gone swimming in the canal after leaving the Cape2Cairo nightclub.
“Upon arrival several witnesses from the apartment block pointed out where the man was last seen. A resident had already attempted to search for the man with no success. A dive operation was conducted and the victim was recovered at a depth of 3m.”
Zwane said an inquest docket would be opened.
The Mercury