A grim procession of hearses wound its way to the burial grounds of Durban at the weekend as shattered families, friends and relatives came together to bury 12 of the 13 youngsters whose lives were snuffed out in a Chatsworth nightclub.
As the mourners bade farewell to their loved ones, a crack squad of murder and robbery unit detectives was busy sifting for clues to make whatever sense they could from the senseless waste of young lives.
By late Sunday night, four people were in police custody after another man, accompanied by his attorney, handed himself in at the Pinetown police station at 5.45pm.
Detectives say at least one of these men has been linked to a nearby, rival night-club.
But fearful about the highly charged mood of the local community and the risk of revenge attacks, the police were not willing to divulge further details about the suspects' identities - or the name of the rival nightclub.
Within hours of the tragedy, police confirmed that a man had been arrested for questioning in connection with attempting to set the building, housing Throb nightclub, alight with petrol.
The men will appear in court on Monday morning in connection with 13 murder counts and more than 600 counts of assault - but even the location of the court is being kept secret until shortly before the hearing starts.
Some community members are threatening to storm the building.
Though several questions remain unanswered, sources claimed yesterday that teargas has been thrown into Throb nightclub three times over the past year.
The Mercury has also been told that eight policemen based at the Chatsworth police station are believed to have financial interests in the club, which was owned until recently by Sgt Hanujayam Mayadevan, a main witness in South Africa's biggest armed robbery, the R31 million SBV heist - then known as The Embassy.
Investigators said the teargas canister was of police or military issue, fuelling speculation that police could have been involved in its supply.
But a policeman from the public order policing unit who was arrested on Friday evening in possession of teargas canisters was released after questioning.
Asked to comment on rumours that teargas had been thrown into the club previously, police spokesman Bala Naidoo said he had heard about this but was not able to confirm it officially as no dockets had been opened.
Three men - aged 23, 24 and 29 - had handed themselves over to the murder and robbery unit detectives in Pinetown on Saturday.
On Friday, police cordoned off the ground floor of the Chatsworth Main building which houses the nightclub. Hundreds of people flocked there to pin flowers and messages to the gate, to light lamps and candles and to pray.
Earlier, 600 children had been in the club to celebrate the end of term when someone opened the gas canister, causing a stampede.
They stormed down a stairwell to get to the exit, apparently the only one which served as an exit, when a wall collapsed on them.
Thirteen children died, many of them trampled to death by frantic children trying to get out.
About 150 were injured, some of them seriously. Late on Saturday six still remained in a critical condition in two Durban hospitals. One of them died early yesterday.
Police are continuing with their investigations and Dir Naidoo said while the deaths were the first priority, police would also investigate the safety of the building.
Police were probing claims that there were no fire escapes and that ventilation was not sufficient.
Investigations would also begin into why minors were allowed into the club and if alcohol was served to them, he said.
A co-owner of the club, Rajan Naidu, said there were four exits from the building. He claimed they were all open at the time.
Friday afternoon was when a matinee was heldspecifically for schoolchildren and that was why minors had been allowed in. He added that the club's policy was that no alcohol be served to minors.
However, Sapa spoke to six boys who had been in the club, most of them under 18, and they claimed they were served alcohol.
Politicians, councillors, community leaders and ordinary citizens came together to lend support.
The ANC's Mtholephi Mthimkhulu said the party condemned "this barbaric action by this unruly element who decided to shut out the bright lives of our youth".
The New National Party's Raj Morar said the club had to be condemned and that charges should be brought against its owners for allowing in underage children.
Democratic Party MP Omie Singh has called for top-level investigations against the owners of the club. The Minority Front's Amichand Rajbansi donated R5 000 to a distress fund.
The north and south central local councils questioned why 11-year-old children could gain entry to a nightclub that served alcohol.
A joint statement by south central mayor Theresa Mthembu and north central mayor Nomusa Dube said: "The perpetrators responsible for discharging the teargas canister - who are ultimately responsible for this disaster - must not be allowed to escape the consequences . . ."
"This tragic loss to the community is a loss to the entire people of Durban and to South Africa as a whole."
