On Sunday residents in Manenberg Avenue started hearing voices coming from the ground. Initially it looked like nine boys made a drain their new home. That quickly changed to three boys and a girl. At one point 15 kids were believed to be in the drain. Currently no one knows what’s going on down there.

Many theories have been doing the rounds as to who’s in the drain and why they chose to live in a drain as opposed to anywhere else. Some reckon they’re boys on the run from the near-by Boys Town reformatory. Others believe they’re abused kids running away from home.

Surprisingly no one’s been able to locate them.

Tuesday the Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service were called and looked up and down the 1.3m-diameter drains underneath Manenberg but found nothing.

“I can confirm that there are no children in those drains,” said Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Theo Layne.

The police’s K9 unit were called in next. They searched all the way to Langa and even looked under the Manenberg pool but found nada.

Still the voices can be heard. Especially late at night.

Last night Manenberg residents gathered around manholes hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of the mysterious group of children living underneath their feet. Some claim they see forms moving in the dark. Others say they hear only the voices.

Mysterious voices coming from the earth.

[Source: iol]