Durban - An intricate web of stormwater tunnels extending for kilometres beneath Durban and the suburbs has for years been used as a secret escape route by criminals who make their way under homes and roads or drop in through manholes after committing thefts or even murder.
A clean-up operation at the weekend revealed the network that has long been a haven for drug pedlars and thieves.
A rumour that police had found three bodies in one tunnel could not be confirmed last night.
Police abandoned their underground inspection yesterday when it became apparent the tunnels were too dark and dangerous to explore without extra help.
A dedicated team of SAPS and metro police officers is to be mobilised to move further into the 5.5km network to clear the tunnels and stop criminal activity.
The tunnels - which are more than two metres high and wide enough to fit a bakkie - run from the Durban Harbour to the Warwick area - known as Whoonga Park, near Albert Park - and then split into three, with two running through lower Berea near the station, and the third stretching up Berea Road.
Further splits see the tunnels - parts of which date back to 1935 - reaching into Umbilo, Glenwood and Greyville.
Police, armed with a detailed map of the network, were joined by members of the Inner City eThekwini Regeneration and Urban Management Programme (iTrump) and Home Affairs officials, in the event that foreign nationals were found to be living there.
Metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi said the inspection was a good start.
“We need to get through all of the tunnels, especially those close to public access areas.
“We have a plan for a way forward, but first we have to see what is in them, clear them and then close them in a way that they can still serve their purpose.
“But we need a team as we don’t know who is in there and we do not want to be ambushed.”
Although no one was found in the tunnels during the inspection, police found clothing, mattresses, and plastic bags believed to be used for packaging whoonga.
Bystanders, including South Africans and foreign nationals who live in Whoonga Park and who appeared to be high on drugs, sang and shouted insults at the police and media.
Seven women were taken by the police to Home Affairs offices for identity verification, but were released after being identified as South African.
Hoosen Moolla, a senior manager at iTrump, said it was difficult to prevent those living in the park from going into the tunnels as they could not be closed owing to the need for stormwater flow.
Instead, police needed to patrol and guard the tunnels, with community help.
Moolla added that the social ills of the people living in the area had to be addressed.
A city engineer, who asked not to be named, said previous attempts to fence the tunnel openings had proved fruitless as criminals jumped over the fences.
The Mercury